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Libris 
BEATRIX 
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LIBRARY 


The  Gift  of  Beatrix  Farrand 

to  the  General  Library 
University  of  California,  Berkeley 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES 
OF     MASSACHUSETTS 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES 
OF     MASSACHUSETTS 


BY 


JAMES  RAYMOND  ^  SIMMONS 


BOSTON 

MARSHALL  JONES  COMPANY 
MDCCCCXIX 


COPYRIGHT,     igig 
BY     MARSHALL     JONES     COMPANY 


THE-PLIMPTON-PRE  SS 
NORWOOD'MASS-U-S-A 


Add'l 

LANDSCAPE 
ARCHITECTURE 

Farrand  Gift 


TO 
HON.    ROBERT    ORR   HARRIS 


475 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

INTRODUCTION XI 

I.  THE  TREES  OF  BOSTON  COMMON  .      .  i 

II.  THE  WASHINGTON  ELM 10 

III.  THE  LINDENS  AT  PLYMOUTH      ...  17 

IV.  THE  GUSHING  ELM 26 

V.  THE  LAKEVILLE  ELMS 3^ 

VI.   ISLAND  GROVE 34 

VII.   ELIOT    OAK    AND    OTHER   TREES    OF 

SOUTH  NATICK 39 

VIII.  AVERY    OAK    AND    OTHER    TREES    OF 

DEDHAM        47 

IX.  THE  HOLLISTON  ELMS 52 

X.  THE  ROBY  ELM 57 

XI.  THE  BOXFORD  ELM 60 

XII.  THE  ENDICOTT  PEAR  TREE  ....  64 

XIII.  LEXINGTON  AND  CONCORD  TREES  .     .  69 

XIV.  THE  ANCIENT  OAKS  AT  WAYSIDE  INN  76 
XV.  THE  MARLBORO  ELM 79 

XVI.  THE  GRAFTON  OAK 83 

XVII.  THE  WASHINGTON  ELM  AT  PALMER     .  85 

XVIII.  THE  LAFAYETTE  ELM 88 


CONTENTS 

XIX.  THE  ELM  AT  COURT  SQUARE,  SPRING- 
FIELD   •    .  p0 

XX.  THE  SHEFFIELD  ELM 94 

XXI.  DEERFIELD  TREES 98 

XXII.  THE  CHARLEMONT  BUTTONWOOD    .      .  103 

XXIII.  THE    SUNDERLAND    BUTTONWOOD       .        .  Ill 

XXIV.  THE  OLIVER  WENDELL  HOLMES  PINE  113 
XXV.  OTHER  WELL-KNOWN  TREES     .      .      .  117 

INDEX  TO  TREES I38 


v 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

Boston  Common  in  Winter Frontispiece 

The  Old  Elm's  Descendent,  a  sprout  from  the 

famous  elm  which  fell  in  1876  ....  Jacing  page  2 

The  Washington  Elm  at  Cambridge 10 

The  Lindens  at  Plymouth 18 

The  Cushing  Elm 26 

The  Lakeville  Elms 32 

Island  Grove,  Abington 34 

The  Entrance  to  Island  Grove 38 

The  Eliot  Oak 39 

The  Avery  Oak 48 

The  HoIIiston  Elms 54 

A  Pair  of  Elms  at  South  Chelmsford 55 

A  Pair  of  Elms  at  Lincoln 56 

The  Roby  Elm 57 

The  Cheever  Walnut 58 

The  Boxford  Elm 60 

The  Endicott  Pear  Tree 64 

The  Harrington  Elm 70 

The  Elm  at  Monroe  Tavern,  Lexington 71 

The  Old  Willow  at  Concord 74 

The  Elms  in  front  of  the  Louisa  May  Alcott 

House,  Concord,  and  Hawthorne's  Grove 75 

' 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

The  Ancient  Oaks  at  Wayside  Inn 76 

The  Marlboro  Elm 80 

The  Grafton  Oak 84 

The  Washington  Elm  at  Palmer 86 

The  Lafayette  Elm 88 

The  Springfield  Elm 90 

The  Sheffield  Elm 94 

The  Deerfield  Buttonwood 100 

"The  Elm  by  the  Little  Brown  House,"  Deer- 
field  101 

The  Charlemont  Buttonwood 104 

The  Sunderland  Buttonwood 112 

The  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes  Pine 1 14 

The  Beaman  Oak 124 

The  Rugg  Elm 125 

The  Elm  at  West  Acton 128 

The  Winchester  Elm 130 

The  Black  Walnut  at  West  Medford 131 

The  Hubbard  Elm 132 

The  Apple  Tree  at  Marshfield  Hills 136 


INTRODUCTION 

I  stood  to-day  beneath  a  mighty  tree, 

And  gazed  upon  its  lofty  trunk  and  crown, 

Scarred  body,  branches  gnarled  and  leaves  of  brown, 

In  silence  looking  upward,  wonderingly. 

Full  oft  have  I  thus  pondered  on  the  sea, 

Or  on  the  mountains  when  the  sun  was  down, 

Upon  their  age  and  grandeur,  or  the  sound 

Of  rushing  waters  and  the  whispering  breeze  — 

To  waken  and  inspire  the  best  in  me. 

Comes  then  the  thought  of  those  strong  men  I've  known, 

Who've  stood  and  fought  their  battles,  like  this  tree; 

They  know  it  not,  but  when  each  deed  is  done 

Of  theirs,  I  marvel  e'en  as  silently, 

And  owe  them  each  small  victory  I  have  won! l 

J.  R.  S. 

FROM    the    days    of    Eden,    when    the 
apple    tree    went    on    record    as    the 
first   historic   specimen   of  its   kind  in 
the    world,    trees    have    ever    been    closely 
connected  with  human  history.     If  we  speak 
from    the    broad    standpoint    of   trees    as    a 
community,  and  seek  out  their  influence  as 
applied   to   a   given   portion   of  the   earth's 

1  The  above  quotation  by  the  author  is  reprinted  here  by 
courtesy  of  American  Forestry. 


INTRODUCTION 

surface,  then  the  strength  of  any  nation 
may  be  measured  largely  by  the  extent  and 
quality  of  its  forests;  the  decline  of  any 
nation  usually  follows  the  decline  of  its 
natural  resources,  of  which  the  forests  con- 
stitute an  important  part.  And  if  we  speak 
from  the  standpoint  of  trees  as  individuals, 
we  find  that  certain  of  them  are  identified 
with  events  of  nation-wide  and  even  world- 
wide importance.  Forest  trees  are  now  being 
systematically  harvested  and  a  new  gene- 
ration replaces  them;  individual  trees,  such 
as  grow  upon  our  lawns,  along  our  village 
streets  and  in  our  meadows  and  pastures, 
live  on  from  period  to  period,  witnesses 
not  only  of  the  deeds  of  one  but  of  several 
generations  of  men. 

An  historic  tree  commands  in  us  the  same 
quality  of  admiration  which  we  feel  for  a 
great  mind;  it  has  been  associated  with  the 
noted  characters  of  its  time;  it  is  related 
to  events  whose  results  have  affected  the 
life  and  development  of  the  community; 
it  has  demonstrated  its  ability  to  stand  like 
a  conqueror  in  the  face  of  storm  and  adver- 


INTRODUCTION 

sity,  and  has  risen  superior  to  opposing  forces 
of  every  description.  We  therefore  honor 
its  excellence  and  cherish  its  memory  with 
that  of  our  heroes! 

American  literature  abounds  with  refer- 
ence to  great  and  beautiful  trees,  and  the 
same  may  be  said  with  equal  truth  of  the 
works  of  the  English  writers.  Our  kinsmen 
across  the  sea  have  always  taken  an  honest 
pride  in  their  ancient  oaks,  with  which  the 
island  abounds.  They  tell  us,  for  example, 
of  the  great  oak  of  Ravenshead,  last  survivor 
of  old  Sherwood  Forest,  where  Robin  Hood 
and  his  fearless  band  carried  on  their  ex- 
ploits; of  the  Parliament  Oak,  so  called 
in  memory  of  an  assemblage  of  the  kind 
held  by  King  John  beneath  its  shade;  of  the 
Pilgrim  Oak,  associated  with  Lord  Byron, 
and  with  his  father  before  him.  FalstafFs 
Tree  in  Queen  Elizabeth's  walk  at  Windsor 
Forest,  and  Shakespeare's  Tree,  from  which 
the  carved  box  was  made  that  enclosed  the 
papers  conveying  the  freedom  of  Stratford- 
on-Avon  to  David  Garrick,  are  also  men- 
tioned among  the  famous  trees  of  England. 


INTRODUCTION 

Wise  with  the  lore  of  centuries, 

What  tales  if  there  "  be  tongues  in  trees," 

Those  giant  oaks  could  tell, 

Of  beings  born  and  buried  here; 

Tales  of  the  peasant  and  the  peer, 

Tales  of  the  bridal  and  the  bier, 

The  welcome  and  farewell, 

Since  on  their  boughs  the  startled  bird 

First,  in  her  twilight  slumbers,  heard 

The  Norman's  curfew  bell! l 

"They  are  haunted  with  the  recollections 
of  great  spirits  who  have  sought  for  relax- 
ation here  from  the  tumult  of  arms,  or  the 
toils  of  state,  or  who  have  wooed  the  muse 
beneath  their  shade."  2 

No  small  portion  of  the  history  of  our  own 
country  could  be  told  by  its  trees  if  they 
could  speak.  The  silent  Indian  made  his 
attack  from  the  cover  of  the  forest,  and,  if 
successful,  often  bound  his  victim  to  a  tree 
for  torture.  When  Braddock  marched  his 
command  through  the  wilderness  in  solid 
formation,  he  would  have  lost  every  man 
but  for  the  timely  assistance  of  Washington 
who  was  familiar  with  the  possibilities  of 
trees  as  defenses,  and  who  fought  the  Indians 
in  their  own  method.  Trees  proved  most 

1  Fitz-Greene  Halleek,  "AInwick  Castle." 

2  Irving,  "  Bracebridge  Hall,"  "  Forest  Trees." 


INTRODUCTION 

disastrous  to  the  British  but  most  opportune  to 
the  Colonials  on  that  memorable  return  from 
Concord  and  Lexington,  April  iQth,  1775. 

Under  the  shade  of  a  fine  old  elm,  William 
Penn  made  his  famous  treaty  with  the 
Indians.  The  Charter  Oak  concealed  the 
valuable  parchment  which  Governor  Andros 
demanded  from  Connecticut  in  1687,  and 
took  its  place  as  one  of  the  immortals  in  the 
history  of  that  state.  And  there  is  yet 
another  tree,  once  noted  for  its  beauty, 
but  now  only  for  the  event  which  took 
place  under  its  sheltering  arms.  The  old  elm 
at  Cambridge,  shorn  of  its  glory,  but  still 
standing,  marks  the  place  where  Washington 
took  command  of  the  American  army! 

These  are  some  of  the  trees  which  have 
left  their  imprint  upon  the  minds  of  millions. 
In  addition  to  these,  in  many  a  sequestered 
spot  may  be  found  a  tree,  little  known  to  the 
world  at  large,  and  yet  as  dear  to  the  heart 
of  some  worthy  individual  or  community 
as  the  small  college  was  to  the  heart  of 
Daniel  Webster.  "I  don't  doubt,"  says 
Holmes  in  the  "Autocrat,"  "there  may  be 


INTRODUCTION 

some  monster-elm  or  other,  vegetating  green 
but  inglorious,  in  some  remote  New  England 
village,  which  only  wants  a  sacred  singer 
to  make  it  celebrated."  Trees  of  this  type 
have  contributed  to  the  inspiration  of  more 
than  one  successful  career.  Some  of  them, 
long  after  the  lapse  of  three-score-years- 
and-ten,  have  clustered  about  themselves 
the  fame  of  the  man  or  woman  who  loved 
them,  and  have  thereby  acquired  a  local 
distinction  of  no  unworthy  proportions. 

But  others  there  are  whose  place  in  his- 
tory will  never  be  known.  Events  un- 
recorded took  place  beneath  their  boughs; 
in  their  rings  of  yearly  growth  nature  has 
hidden  the  knowledge  of  great  climatic 
changes  and  the  ravages  of  wind  and  fire, 
written  in  a  language  with  which  we  are 
but  slightly  familiar.  The  towering  elm  of 
Pittsfield,  the  two  beautiful  elms  of  Spring- 
field and  many  others,  irresistible  in  their 
time,  have  passed  away;  but  their  fame 
is  secure,  for  they  have  been  rendered  im- 
mortal by  many  authors.  The  value  of 
each  lay  not  so  much  in  its  connection  with 


INTRODUCTION 

known  historic  events  as  in  its  influence 
over  those  who  gazed  upon  its  stately  form, 
and  received,  therefrom,  a  vision. 

The  following  pages  will  bring  before  the 
observation  of  the  reader  in  a  fairly  com- 
prehensive way,  all  trees  generally  known 
as  historic  in  the  Commonwealth  of  Massa- 
chusetts, together  with  the  principal  events 
connected  with  each  of  them.  A  goodly 
number  of  typical  trees  which  have  no  his- 
toric connections,  other  than  those  arising 
from  age,  beauty  or  location,  are  also  in- 
cluded in  the  text. 

It  is  usually  conceded  that  a  tree  beneath 
whose  shade  some  event  of  significance  in 
the  life  of  the  State  or  the  Nation  took 
place  is  an  historic  tree.  The  Charter  Oak 
and  the  Washington  Elm  above  mentioned 
may  be  cited  at  random  as  good  examples 
of  this  type  of  landmark.  The  definition 
should  also  include  any  tree  rendered  famous 
by  a  noted  personage,  leader  or  pioneer  — 
Daniel  Boone's  "Bar  Tree"  for  example.1 

1  The  Charter  Oak  and  the  "Bar  Tree"  are,  of  course,  not 
connected  with  Massachusetts,  but  are  cited  for  the  purpose 
of  making  the  definition  perfectly  clear. 


INTRODUCTION 

Massachusetts,  on  account  of  the  fact 
that  it  is  one  of  the  oldest  states  in  the 
Union,  and  because  of  the  unusual  number 
of  places  of  historical  interest  which  it  con- 
tains, offers  remarkably  good  territory  from 
which  to  select  famous  trees.  The  "Bay 
State,"  moreover,  lies  in  the  center  of  that 
section  of  the  country  which  seems  to  be 
especially  loved  by  and  devoted  to  the 
Ulmus  Americana  (American  Elm).  No  less 
than  twenty  splendid  examples  of  this  species 
are  here  cherished  on  account  of  the  deeds 
they  commemorate;  some  of  these  have 
spent  their  entire  life  on  the  spot  where 
nature  first  placed  them;2  but  the  majority 
of  the  celebrated  elms  were  dug  from  the 
fields  when  mere  seedlings  and  transplanted 
to  new  situations  along  the  main  streets  and 
highways,  or  in  front  of  dwelling  houses 
that  have  long  since  found  a  place  in  the 
Nation's  history.  The  white  oak  (quercus 
alba)  is  second  in  importance  to  the  elm, 
while  the  third  place  is  about  equally  divided 

2  For  example,  the  Great  Elm  mentioned  in  Chap,  i,  and 
the  Washington  Elm  mentioned  in  Chap.  2  are  said  to  have 
been  remnants  of  the  original  forest. 


INTRODUCTION 

between  the  sycamore  or  buttonwood  (Plati- 
nus  occidentalis)  and  the  red  oak  (Quercus 
rubra).  Noble  specimens  of  the  white  pine 
(Pinus  strobus),  the  chestnut  (Castanea  den- 
tata)  the  European  linden  (Tilia  vulgaris), 
the  willow  (Salix  nigra),  the  black  walnut 
(Juglans  nigra)  and  the  hackberry  (Celtis 
occidentalis)  also  abound.  And  the  reader 
will  be  interested  to  know  that  there  still 
stands  an  historic  pear  tree,  boasting  the 
ripe  old  age  of  two  hundred  and  ninety  years. 
The  present  volume  is  concerned,  prima- 
rily, with  trees  of  established  celebrity,  and 
may  be  said  to  be  a  brief  historical  treatise 
covering  the  period  previous  to  the  Civil 
War,  and  written  from  the  standpoint  of 
trees  as  witnesses  of  the  events  herein  chron- 
icled. Some  individual  specimens  have 
doubtless  been  overlooked,  and  other  facts 
than  those  recorded  here  may  be  known  by 
the  oldest  inhabitant.  The  author  has,  how- 
ever, attempted  to  seek  out  the  best  known 
trees  throughout  the  whole  area  of  the 
state,  and  to  surround  them  with  the  best 
known  facts.  Historic  data  have  been 


INTRODUCTION 

gleaned  from  town  and  county  histories, 
selectmens'  reports,  newspapers,  and  many 
other  sources,  and  reproduced  without  any 
attempt  at  exaggeration.  The  arrangement 
of  chapters,  with  exception  of  the  last,  is 
based  on  geographical  situation,  with  Boston 
as  a  starting  point. 

For  a  clear  understanding  of  the  measure- 
ments, which  are  given  for  each  historic 
tree  and  for  the  majority  of  the  others,  the 
following  points  may  be  noted:  —  Circum- 
ferences are  taken  at  breast  height,  or  four 
and  a  half  feet  from  the  ground,  unless  other- 
wise stated.  (Some  authorities  favor  five 
feet,  and  others  give  circumferences  at  vary- 
ing points  on  the  trunk.)  Heights  are  meas- 
ured from  the  ground  to  the  end  of  the 
topmost  branch,  with  a  hypsometer;  and 
spread  signifies  the  greatest  extent  of  the 
branches,  measured  in  a  straight  line  out- 
ward from  the  trunk  on  both  sides. 

All  photographs  were  taken  by  the  author 
with  a  3A  Brownie  camera.  Trees  which 
show  no  leaves  were  photographed  in  winter 
or  early  spring. 


INTRODUCTION 

Care  has  been  exercised  in  the  giving  of 
full  credit  for  data  and  quotations,  even  at 
the  expense  of  good  diction.  The  author 
also  wishes  to  acknowledge,  herewith,  his 
indebtedness  to  all  persons  who  have  con- 
tributed to  the  work  by  the  answering  of 
questions,  the  loan  of  books  and  records  of 
all  descriptions,  and  by  their  enthusiastic 
support  and  encouragement;  he  is  especially 
indebted  to  Prof.  George  M.  Dutcher,  PH.D., 
of  Wesleyan  University,  for  a  criticism  of 
the  manuscript  and  for  many  valuable  sug- 
gestions. 

J.   R.   S. 


THE  HISTORIC   TREES 
OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

CHAPTER  I 
THE  TREES  OF  BOSTON  COMMON 

Deep  and  wide 

The  wheels  of  progress  have  passed  on; 
The  silent  pioneer  is  gone, 
His  ghost  is  moving  down  the  trees, 
And  now  we  push  the  memories 
Of  bluff,  bold  men  who  dared  and  died 
In  foremost  battle,  quite  aside. 

Joaquln  Miller 

THE  Duke  of  Wellington  said,  'Water- 
loo was  won  on  Eton's  playgrounds!' 
And  boys  who  have  coasted  on  the 
long  malls  of  Boston  Common,  played  upon 
its  ball-grounds,  and  received  inspiration  from 
orations  of  great  statesmen,  and  from  the 
frequent  military  parades  there  have  after- 
ward stormed  many  heights  in  the  military- 
service  of  their  country.  Many  a  hero  of  our 
navy  has  sailed  his  first  boat  in  the  'frog 
pond.'" 

CO 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

These  words  were  spoken  by  a  Bostonian 
at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  American  Park 
and  Outdoor  Art  Association  at  Detroit,  in 
June,  1899.!  He  was  speaking  from  the 
standpoint  of  the  Common  as  a  city  park, 
the  first  of  its  kind  in  the  country;  he  con- 
veyed to  his  hearers  the  thought  that  "the 
trees  of  the  Boston  Common  are  historic 
trees,  because  the  Common  itself  is  historic." 

The  earliest  record  of  famous  trees  within 
the  bounds  of  the  Common  is  Bonner's  map 
of  1722,  which  gives  the  location  of  the  Great 
Elm  (picturing  it  as  of  unusual  size)  and  of  a 
group  of  elms  at  the  corner  of  what  are  now 
Washington  and  Essex  streets.  One  of  these 
was  the  famous  Liberty  Tree.  The  scene 
has  been  a  constantly  changing  one  through 
the  years  that  have  followed  since  this  early 
map  of  Boston  was  made,  for  practically  every 
tree  now  standing  on  the  "peninsula"  was 
placed  there  by  the  hand  of  man.  The 
Liberty  Tree  was  destroyed  by  the  British 
in  1775,  while  the  Great  Elm,  the  true  native 
and  king  of  the  Common,  survived  until 

1  Edward  A.  Parker 


THE  TREES  OF  BOSTON  COMMON 

1876,  when  it  fell  in  a  gale  on  the  fifteenth 
of  February  of  that  year.  A  local  historian 
says  of  this  tree,  "What  I  am  is  of  little 
consequence;  what  I  have  seen  and  known 
is  identified  with  the  human  race."1  And 
concerning  the  other  landmark,  Lafayette, 
when  in  Boston,  said,  "The  world  should 
never  forget  where  once  stood  Liberty  Tree 
so  famous  in  your  annals!" 

There  has  arisen  on  the  site  of  the  Great 
Elm,  and  from  its  roots,  a  sprout  generally 
known  as  "the  old  elm's  descendant."  It 
is  now  a  lusty  tree  6|  feet  in  circumference, 
and  is  surrounded  by  an  iron  enclosure. 
Two  inscriptions  have  been  erected  at  its 
base,  one  in  commemoration  of  the  parent 
tree,  and  the  other  descriptive  of  the  off- 
shoot that  stands  in  its  very  footprints. 

THE  OLD  ELM 


THIS   TREE    HAS    BEEN    STANDING 
HERE    FOR   AN    UNKNOWN    PERIOD. 
IT    IS    BELIEVED    TO    HAVE    EXISTED 
BEFORE   THE    SETTLEMENT   OF    BOSTON, 
BEING    FULLY   GROWN    IN    1 722,    EXHIB- 
ITED  MARKS   OF   OLD   AGE    IN    I7Q2,       , 

1  Mass.  Historical  Society  Proceedings,  vol.  14,  p.  300. 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

WAS  NEARLY  DESTROYED  BY  A  STORM 
IN  1832.   PROTECTED  BY  AN  IRON 
ENCLOSURE  IN  1854. 

J.  V.  C.  SMITH,  Mayor. 

THE   OLD   ELM 


DESTROYED    BY   A 
GALE  FEB.  15,   1 876 


THIS  ELM 
PLANTED  A.D.   1876 

In  the  wall  of  a  building  at  the  southeast 
corner  of  Essex  street  at  its  junction  with 
Washington  street  there  was  inserted  some 
years  ago  by  Mr.  David  Sears  a  handsome 
freestone  bas-relief  representing  the  Liberty 
Tree.  This  memorial  is  placed  directly  over 
the  spot  where  the  original  tree  stood,  and 
an  inscription  informs  the  reader  that  it 
commemorates 

LIBERTY    1776 
LAW   AND   ORDER 
SONS    OF    LIBERTY    1766 
INDEPENDENCE   OF   THEIR   COUNTRY    1776 

These  memorials  mark  the  passing  of  the 
trees  of  individual  fame  on  Boston  Common. 
The  records  show  that  Liberty  Tree  pro- 
duced fourteen  cords  of  wood,  while  the 
Great  Elm  was  so  large  that  one  of  its  huge 
limbs,  blown  off  in  1860,  showed  one  hun- 


THE  TREES  OF  BOSTON  COMMON 

dred  and  ninety  annual  rings.  The  oldest 
trees  now  standing  on  this  historic  ground 
are  slightly  over  one  hundred  years  old. 
There  is  something  very  typical  of  democ- 
racy in  the  present  arrangement,  where  every 
tree  is  accorded  equal  attention  and  care, 
and  shares  with  every  other  its  "place  in 
the  sun." 

The  Common  of  the  present  time  is  en- 
tirely surrounded  by  "malls"  all  of  which 
have  names  derived  from  the  streets  which 
form  their  outer  boundaries.  That  on  Trem- 
ont  street  is  the  oldest  and  was  therefore 
originally  named  the  mall;  although  sub- 
sequently, when  there  was  a  second  one  it 
acquired  the  name  of  the  great  mall,  and 
now,  as  there  are  several,  it  is  called  the 
Tremont  street  mall.  Early  in  the  eight- 
eenth century  it  had  two  rows  of  trees, 
mostly  English  elms,  with  a  few  sycamores 
at  the  northerly  and  some  poplars  at  the 
southerly  end,  the  outermost  of  which  was 
set  out  about  the  year  1734.  In  1784  John 
Lucas,  Esq.,  the  commissary  of  pensions 
for  Massachusetts,  who  resided  and  had  his 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

office  in  Orange  street,  and  Mr.  Oliver 
Smith,  a  noted  apothecary  who  dwelt  in 
Milk  street,  procured  subscriptions  to  the 
amount  of  £285  148  yd  for  the  improvement 
of  the  Common;  and  to  the  efforts  of  these 
men  the  town  was  indebted  for  the  third 
row  of  trees  in  Tremont  street  mall.  New 
trees  have  been  added  as  the  older  ones 
declined,  until,  at  the  present  time,  the  great 
mall  is  composed  almost  entirely  of  young 
stock.  The  Beacon  street  mall  was  laid 
out  in  1815  and  1816,  and  the  expense  was 
defrayed  from  a  subscription  raised  in  1814 
for  the  purpose  of  defense  against  a  con- 
templated attack  from  the  British.  Here 
may  be  found  the  oldest  trees  on  the  Com- 
mon. Surrounding  Shaw's  monument  and 
extending  west  along  the  mall  is  a  group  of 
eight  English  elms  the  largest  of  which  has 
a  circumference  of  about  fourteen  feet. 
There  is  also  a  very  fine  gingko  near  the 
Curtis  Guild  memorial  steps.  Beyond  this 
point  looking  west  American  elms  form  a 
canopy  of  shade  quite  to  the  end  of  the  mall. 
The  Charles  street  mall  was  commenced  in 

C63 


THE  TREES  OF  BOSTON  COMMON 

1823  and  completed  in  1824,  during  the 
first  year  of  the  mayoralty  of  the  elder 
Quincy,  and  in  1826,  through  the  energy 
of  that  gentleman,  the  old  poplar  trees  that 
used  to  disfigure  Park  street,  were  un- 
ceremoniously cut  down  in  the  early  morning 
hours,  and  beautiful  elms  set  out  in  their 
place  by  his  own  hands.  Only  a  few  of 
these  elms  now  remain,  but  their  places 
have  been  filled  by  younger  trees.  In  1836 
Boylston  street  mall  was  extended  across 
the  burial  ground,  two  rows  of  tombs  being 
closed  for  the  purpose;  and  with  this  im- 
provement the  Common  became  for  the 
first  time  entirely  surrounded  with  trees.1 

In  1871,  when  Dr.  Shurtleffs  "Historical 
and  Topographical  Description  of  Boston'* 
was  published,  there  were,  he  says,  about 
1300  trees  in  all,  of  which  700  were  American 
elms,  50  English  and  Scotch  elms,  70  lindens, 
17  tulip  trees,  10  sycamores,  8  oaks,  4  balsam 
poplars,  and  a  large  variety  of  other  trees. 
In  1864  all  the  trees  of  the  Common  were 

1  Shurtleff,  "Historical  and  Topographical  Description  of 
Boston." 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

scientifically  examined  by  Dr.  A.  A.  Gould 
and  their  species  ascertained;  and  upon 
some  of  the  best  specimens  labels  were 
fastened  indicating  the  popular  and  scientific 
names.  A  list  of  other  trees  which  should 
be  procured  was  also  submitted,  and  with 
it  definite  information  as  to  where  they  could 
be  obtained.  This  program  has  been  con- 
sistently carried  out,  seemingly  in  the  spirit 
of  the  words  of  the  orator  who,  addressing 
a  large  audience  under  the  branches  of  the 
Great  Elm  a  half  century  ago,  cried  out, 
"We  will  elect  only  the  men  for  city  coun- 
cillors who  will  guard  every  tree  on  these 
grounds!"1 

Several  new  paths,  or  malls,  have  been 
laid  out  during  recent  years.  The  usual 
practice  has  been  for  the  mayor  of  the  city 
to  plant  the  first  tree.  Liberty  Mall  is  the 
most  recent  undertaken  and  extends,  ap- 
proximately, from  the  Shaw  Memorial  on 
Beacon  street  near  the  State  House  to  Trem- 
ont  street  near  the  subway  entrance.  The 
point  of  intersection  of  these  two  malls  has 

1  Rev.  L.  B.  Bates. 


THE  TREES  OF  BOSTON  COMMON 

become  the  historic  center  of  the  Common. 
Probably  no  other  spot  in  the  United  States 
has  seen  so  many  thousands  of  men  recruited 
for  military  service,  under  the  American, 
English  and  French  Flags,  or  so  many  mil- 
lions of  money  contributed  for  the  cause  of 
human  liberty! 


CHAPTER  II 
THE  WASHINGTON  ELM 

Of  our  swift  passage  through  this  scenery 
Of  life  and  death  more  durable  than  we, 
What  landmark  so  congenial  as  a  tree 
Repeating  its  green  legend  every  spring, 
And  with  a  yearly  ring 
Recording  the  fair  seasons  as  they  flee, 
Type  of  our  brief  but  still  renewed  mortality? 

Lowell 

THERE  is  probably  no  tree  dearer 
to  the  hearts  of  the  people  of  Massa- 
chusetts, or  even  of  the  country  at 
large,  than  the  Washington  Elm  at  Cam- 
bridge. If  it  is  true  that  the  Arabs  of  the 
desert  tell  their  children  the  story  of 
Washington,  the  father  of  his  country,  it  is 
equally  true  that  travelers  from  every  lead- 
ing nation  of  the  world  have  looked  with 
reverence  upon  this  spreading  elm,  and  pon- 
dered long  as  they  read  the  inscription  on 
the  monument  at  its  base.  Artists  have 
painted  it,  poets  have  sung  its  praises,  and 
most  historians  who  have  written  of  the 


THE    WASHINGTON    ELM    AT    CAMBRIDGE 


THE  WASHINGTON  ELM 

Revolution  remind  us  that  "under  its 
branches  Washington  took  command  of  the 
Continental  Army  on  the  third  of  July, 

1775." 

The  Cambridge  elm  leaped  into  fame  as 
a  result  of  the  opposition  to  British  oppres- 
sion expressed  in  Boston,  and  the  necessity 
for  a  nationally  recognized  military  organiza- 
tion equal  to  meeting  the  needs  of  the  time. 
Until  1775  the  Colonies  were  without  a 
commander-in-chief.  In  reviewing  the  period, 
in  an  article  on  American  historical  trees, 
Harper's  Monthly  for  May,  1862,  says:  "The 
thunder  peal  of  revolution  that  went  forth 
from  Lexington  and  Concord  aroused  all 
New  England  and  a  formidable  army  was 
soon  gathered  together  around  Boston,  with 
a  determination  to  confine  the  British  in- 
vader to  that  peninsula  or  drive  him  into 
the  sea.  The  storm  cloud  of  war  grew 
more  portentous  every  hour.  At  length  it 
burst  on  Bunker  Hill,  and  the  great  conflict 
for  American  Independence  began.  The  pa- 
triots looked  for  a  competent  captain  to 
lead  them  to  absolute  freedom  and  peace. 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

That  commander  was  found  in  George 
Washington  of  Virginia.  A  New  England 
delegate  suggested  him,1  a  Maryland  delegate 
nominated  him 2  and  the  confederate  con- 
gress appointed  him  commander-in-chief  of 
all  "the  Continental  forces  raised  or  to  be 
raised  for  the  defense  of  American  liberty." 
The  army  at  Boston  was  adopted  as  the 
army  of  the  nation;  and  on  the  twenty-first 
of  June,  1775,  Washington  left  Philadelphia  for 
the  New  England  capital  to  take  command 
of  it.  He  arrived  at  Cambridge  and  made 
his  headquarters  there,  the  second  of  July. 
He  was  accompanied  by  Major-general  Lee, 
his  next  in  command,  and  other  officers, 
and  received  the  most  enthusiastic  greetings 
of  the  people  on  the  way.  At  about  nine 
o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  3rd  of  July, 
Washington,  accompanied  by  the  general 
officers  of  the  army  who  were  present,  pro- 
ceeded on  foot  from  the  quarters  of  the 
Commander-in-chief,  to  a  great  elm  tree 
at  the  north  of  the  Cambridge  Common, 
near  which  the  Republican  forces  were  drawn 

1  John  Adams.  2  Thomas  Johnson. 


THE  WASHINGTON   ELM 

up  in  proper  order.  Under  the  shadow  of 
that  wide-spreading  tree,  Washington  stepped 
forward  a  few  paces,  made  some  appropriate 
remarks,  drew  his  sword  and  formally 
assumed  the  command  of  the  army." 

Irving,  as  well  as  other  writers,  differs 
slightly  from  this  account  in  certain  details. 
There  was  a  considerable  amount  of  dis- 
cussion in  the  Continental  Congress  at  the 
time  of  Washington's  appointment  concern- 
ing who  should  be  the  "next  in  command." 
Irving  says  that  because  of  the  rank,  char- 
acter and  experience  of  Generals  Lee  and 
Ward  their  supporters  were  unwilling  that 
either  should  serve  as  a  subordinate  to  any 
general  but  Washington,  and  that,  for  this 
reason,  Ward  was  at  last  elected  second, 
and  Lee  third  in  command.  Ward  was  at 
that  time  the  commander  at  Boston.1  This 
historian  also  states  that  Washington 
"wheeled  his  horse,  and  drew  his  sword 
as  commander-in-chief  of  the  armies."  But 
whether  the  great  man  took  command  of 

1  Irving,  "Life  of  Washington,'*  vol.  I,  p.  291.  Frothingham's 
"Siege,"  p.  214. 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

the  American  army  on  foot  or  on  horseback 
it  is  certain  that  he  did  it  with  dignity, 
under  the  elm  which  bears  his  name;  and 
our  hearts  beat  faster  as  we  contemplate 
the  wonderful  picture. 

More  than  a  hundred  and  forty  years 
have  come  and  gone  since  that  important 
and  imposing  event  took  place,  and  the 
Washington  Elm  still  stands!  It  is  with 
profound  sorrow  that  we  find  ourselves  con- 
fronted with  the  knowledge  that  it  is  now 
but  a  shadow  of  its  former  self.  It  has 
become  the  victim,  like  many  another  tree 
of  its  kind,  of  the  leopard  moth  and  the 
elm-leaf  beetle.  Every  effort  has  been  made 
to  save  it,  but  it  is  not  expected  to  last 
for  more  than  another  decade. 

The  Harvard  Book  describes  this  tree  as 
belonging  to  the  forest  which  originally 
covered  the  locality  in  which  it  stands, 
and  gives  its  dimensions  as  nearly  100  feet 
in  height,  over  18  feet  in  trunk  circum- 
ference and  90  feet  in  the  spread  of  its 
branches.  The  measurements  for  height  and 
spread  have,  been  greatly  reduced  as  a  result 


THE  WASHINGTON  ELM 

of  pruning  during  the  last  few  years.  "In 
August,  1872,  a  branch  17  inches  in  diameter 
fell  from  the  tree.  A  part  of  the  wood 
was  used  in  making  a  pulpit  for  the  chapel 
of  the  neighboring  church."  Previous  to 
this  first  indication  of  old  age,  on  Nov.  30, 
1864,  the  City  Council  ordered  "that  the 
committee  on  Public  Property  cause  a  suit- 
able tablet  of  some  durable  material,  either 
granite,  marble  or  iron  to  be  placed  on  the 
'Washington  Elm'  in  Ward  i,  said  tablet 
to  commemorate  in  conspicuous  letters  the 
Revolutionary  event  which  rendered  said 
tree  historical." 

And  so  we  might  go  on,  and  recall  from 
abundant  sources  the  history  of  one  of  the 
oldest  landmarks  of  Massachusetts.  A  great 
number  of  our  representative  men  have  men- 
tioned it  in  public  utterance  or  written  word 
at  some  time  in  their  careers,  and  in  the  heart 
of  every  American  who  loves  the  history  of 
his  country,  there  dwells  a  degree  of  respect 
and  gratitude  for  this  living  representative 
of  olden  time.  Lowell's  was  a  fitting  tribute 
when  he  wrote, 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

Words  pass  as  wind,  but  where  great  deeds  are  done 

A  power  abides  transfixed  from  sire  to  son; 

The  boy  feels  deeper  meanings  thrill  his  ear, 

That  tingling  through  the  pulse  life-long  shall  run, 

With  sure  impulsion  to  keep  honor  clear, 

When,  pointing  down,  his  father  whispers,  "Here, 

Here,  where  we  stand,  stood  he,  the  purely  great, 

Whose  soul  no  siren  passion  could  unsphere, 

Then  nameless,  now  a  power  and  mixed  with  fate." 

Historic  town,  thou  boldest  sacred  dust, 

Once  known  to  men  as  pious,  learned,  just, 

And  one  memorial  pile  that  dares  to  last; 

But  Memory  greets  with  reverential  kiss 

No  spot  in  all  thy  circuit  sweet  as  this, 

Touched  by  that  modest  glory  as  it  passed, 

O'er  which  yon  elm  hath  piously  displayed 

These  hundred  years  its  monumental  shade. 


CHAPTER  III 
THE  LINDENS  AT  PLYMOUTH 

The  breaking  waves  dashed  high 

On  a  stern  and  rock-bound  coast, 

And  the  woods  against  a  stormy  sky, 

Their  giant  branches  tossed; 

And  the  heavy  night  hung  dark, 

The  hills  and  waters  o'er, 

When  a  band  of  exiles  moored  their  bark 

On  the  wild  New  England  shore. 

Felicia  Hemans 

MANY  a  person  has  wondered,  during 
his  thoughtful  moments,  whether 
any  of  his  ancestors  came  to  America 
in  the  Mayflower,  and  in  spite  of  himself 
has  experienced  a  growing  sense  of  pride 
in  the  discovery  that  he  was  in  some  way 
connected  with  those  men  "who  produced 
a  greater  revolution  in  the  world  than  Colum- 
bus." "That  daring  navigator,"  says  one 
historian,  "in  seeking  India,  discovered 
America.  They  in  pursuit  of  religious  free- 
dom, established  civil  liberty,  and  meaning 
only  to  found  a  church  gave  birth  to  a  nation, 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

and  in  settling  a  town,  commenced  an  em- 
pire!"1 In  like  manner,  any  person  whether 
Mayflower  descendant  or  not,  who  claims 
America  as  his  own,  his  native  land,  has 
found  occasion  to  glory  in  "the  consummate 
prudence  of  Bradford,  the  matchless  valor 
of  Standish  and  the  incessant  enterprise 
of  Winslow." 

Not  only  have  the  writers  of  our  country 
given  praise  to  whom  praise  is  due,  but  those 
of  other  lands  have  recognized  in  the  coming 
of  the  Pilgrim  fathers  an  inspired  event. 
Such  a  writer  was  Carlyle,  who  said,  "Hail 
to  thee,  thou  poor  little  ship  'Mayflower'!  — 
poor,  common-looking  ship  hired  by  common 
charter-party  for  coined  dollars,  calked  with 
mere  oakum  and  tar,  provisioned  with  vulgar 
biscuit  and  bacon;  yet  what  ship  'Argo' 
or  miraculous  epic  ship  built  by  the  sea-gods 
was  other  than  a  foolish  bombarge  in  com- 
parison? Golden  fleeces  or  the  like  they 
sailed  for  with  or  without  effect.  Thou 
little  'Mayflower'  hadst  in  thee  a  veritable 
Promethean  spark  —  the  spark  of  the  largest 

1  Baylie's  "New  Plymouth,"  Preface 


THE    LINDENS    AT    PLYMOUTH 


THE  LINDENS  AT  PLYMOUTH 

nation  of  our  earth,  as  we  may  already 
name  the  transatlantic  Saxon  nation.  They 
went  seeking  leave  to  hear  a  sermon  in  their 
own  method,  these  *  Mayflower'  Puritans  — 
a  most  indispensable  search;  and  yet  like 
Saul  the  son  of  Kish,  seeking  a  small  thing 
they  found  this  unexpected  great  thing. 
Honor  to  the  brave  and  true!  They  verily, 
we  say,  carry  fire  from  heaven,  and  have 
power  they  dream  not  of.  Let  all  men  honor 
Puritanism,  since  God  has  so  honored  it." 

What  manner  of  trees  were  those  which 
tossed  their  giant  branches  against  the 
stormy  sky  as  the  Pilgrims  landed?  Not 
the  lindens,  with  which  this  chapter  is  con- 
cerned, but  pine  and  oak,  chestnut  and  wal- 
nut, even  on  Cape  Cod.  With  undaunted 
zeal  these  men  and  women  accepted  the 
task  before  them  and  conquered  the  land 
and  the  forest  as  well  as  their  enemies. 
There  is  a  tradition  in  the  old  town  that  the 
Pilgrims  brought  with  them  specimens  of 
their  favorite  trees.  At  any  rate,  when  the 
community  began  to  assume  the  proportions 
of  a  town  and  definite  streets  were  laid  out, 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

European  trees  made  their  appearance. 
Most  of  the  native  trees  had  been  cut  and 
hewn  into  timbers  for  homes.  Invariably 
the  linden  and  English  oak  were  the  species 
selected  and  imported  for  shade-tree  plant- 
ing. Both  of  these  varieties  grew  beauti- 
fully in  the  mother  country,  and  it  may  be 
said  that  Holland,  where  the  Pilgrims  sought 
a  refuge  before  coming  to  America,  has  been 
called  "the  country  of  lindens."  Certainly 
the  planting  of  such  trees  in  the  New  World 
was  a  mark  of  affection  for  things  held  dear 
in  the  Old,  and  the  symbol  of  a  friendship 
which  even  the  misunderstandings  of  Revo- 
lutionary times  could  not  shatter.  America 
abounds  with  oaks,  lindens  and  elms  thus 
planted. 

To  obtain  a  clear  idea  of  the  type  of  men 
who  were  most  responsible  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  European  trees  in  Plymouth 
we  must  look  forward  a  period  of  years  to 
that  era  of  peace  and  accomplishment  which 
followed  the  Revolution.  It  was  then  that 
the  real  character  of  these  men  asserted 
itself.  They  were  marked  by  other  dis- 

C20] 


THE  LINDENS  AT  PLYMOUTH 

tinctive  qualities  than  those  associated  with 
war  or  commercial  enterprise,  and  were  re- 
sponsible for  the  civil  reform  and  wealth 
which  developed  so  rapidly  in  Plymouth 
as  the  settlement  grew.  Like  many  such 
periods,  whether  in  the  life  of  a  community 
or  a  nation,  it  developed  liberal,  public- 
spirited  citizens.  The  leaders  devoted  them- 
selves with  pride,  heart  and  soul  to  the 
welfare  of  the  town.  They  elected  faithful 
and  dignified  officials,  and  without  regard 
to  social  rank  administered  to  the  needs  and 
welfare  of  their  neighbors  and  fellow- 
townsmen.1  Such  were  the  men  who,  in 
their  younger  days,  devoted  themselves, 
among  many  other  acts,  to  the  noble  work 
of  tree  planting. 

Among  those  who  arrived  at  old  age 
during  this  period  of  civic  growth  was  Colo- 
nel George  Watson,2  of  whom  the  inscription 
on  his  gravestone  says, 

With  honest  fame  and  sober  plenty  crowned, 
He  lived  and  spread  his  cheering  influence  round. 

1  Hurd,  "Hist,  of  Plymouth  County,"  pp.  156-7. 

2  Died  in  1800,  aged  83. 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

Col.  Watson,  when  a  young  man,  imported 
through  a  Boston  sea-captain  named 
Cameron,  several  linden  trees  from  London, 
and  planted  them  in  the  garden  behind  the 
house  which  he  built  on  the  site  of  the  pre- 
sent Hathaway  house,  about  I745.1  Some 
of  the  original  trees  remain  and  are  among 
the  finest  of  their  kind  in  the  country.  The 
row  on  the  street  was  taken  from  them  and 
set  out  about  fifteen  years  later.  There 
are  eight  trees  in  this  row  and  they  bear  an 
inscription  at  either  end  of  the  group  which 
reads, 


LINDEN    TREES 

PLANTED    BY 

COL.   GEORGE   WATSON 

1760 


Many  lindens  have  sprung  from  this  same 
stock,  and  without  doubt  the  beautiful  tree 
standing  on  the  knoll  above  the  "Plymouth 
Rock"  came  from  this  source.  W.  T.  Davis, 
in  his  "Memoirs  of  an  Octogenarian,"  writes 
of  this  tree  in  the  following  interesting 
way: 

"The  linden  tree  standing  on  the  corner 

1  Davis,  "Historical  Sketch  and  Titles  of  Estates,"  p.  181. 


THE  LINDENS  AT  PLYMOUTH 

of  Cole's  Hill  has  an  interesting  romance 
associated  with  it.  The  tree  was  planted 
by  a  youthful  couple  as  a  memorial  of  their 
engagement,  and  when  not  long  afterwards, 
in  1809,  the  engagement  was  discontinued, 
and  the  memorial  was  no  longer  prized  by 
the  lady  in  whose  garden  it  had  been  planted, 
she  one  day  pulled  it  up  and  threw  it  into 
the  street.  My  father,  who  happened  to 
be  passing  at  the  time,  picked  it  up  and 
planted  it  where  it  now  stands.  He  lived 
in  the  house  now  known  as  the  Plymouth 
Rock  House,  where  he  died  in  1824,  and 
under  his  careful  nursing  it  survived  its 
treatment,  and  has  grown  into  the  beautiful 
tree,  now  blessing  so  many  with  its  grateful 
shade.  In  that  house  I  was  born  in  1822, 
and  lived  until  I  was  more  than  twenty 
years  of  age,  and  hundreds  of  times  I  have 
climbed  the  branches  of  the  Linden,  often 
with  book  in  hand,  seeking  shelter  from  the 


summer  sun."1 


Other  trees  in  Plymouth  worthy  of  men- 
tion are  the  elms  in  the  town  square,  planted 

1  Davis,  "  Memoirs  of  an  Octogenarian,"  p.  15. 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

by  Thomas  Davis,1  the  fine  old  elm  in  front 
of  the  Court  House,  and  the  huge  elm  on 
North  St.,  just  below  the  linden  trees.  There 
is  also  a  very  old  English  oak  near  the  Jack- 
son homestead,  formerly  Gov.  Winslow's 
house,  where  Lydia  Jackson,  wife  of  Ralph 
Waldo  Emerson  was  born. 

The  lindens  all  appear  to  be  in  good  con- 
dition. They  have  withstood  the  blasting 
winds  from  a  broad  expanse  of  sea  for  a 
century  and  a  half,  and  under  the  same  con- 
ditions may  live  for  another  century  to  come. 
The  two  which  stand  in  the  garden  behind 
the  Hathaway  house  (11  North  St.)  are 
seventy  feet  high.  One  measures  fourteen 
feet  and  three  inches,  and  the  other  nine 
feet  and  eight  inches  in  circumference  at 
four  and  a  half  feet  from  the  ground.  There 
were  originally  four  trees,  planted  in  a  row; 
one  blew  down,  and  one  was  cut  by  Mr. 
Hathaway  to  make  room  for  the  two  re- 
maining trees.  A  large  branch,  about  a 
foot  in  diameter,  fell  from  the  larger  tree 
during  a  storm  in  September,  1909.  The 

1  Great-grandfather  of  W.  T.  Davis. 


THE  LINDENS  AT   PLYMOUTH 

row  on  the  street  averages  a  little  over 
sixty  feet  in  height,  and  the  circumferences 
at  four  and  a  half  feet  from  the  ground, 
beginning  with  the  tree  at  the  upper  end 
of  the  row,  are  as  follows: 

9  ft.  5  in 


9 

8 

6 

9 

7 

5 

9 

0 

7 

2 

7 

8 

9 

6 

The  linden  standing  on  Cole's  Hill  is 
thirteen  feet  and  six  inches  in  circumference, 
and  while  only  about  fifty  feet  in  height 
possesses  a  broad,  spreading  crown  of  over 
sixty  feet. 

It  may  be  added,  in  closing  this  chapter, 
that  the  Plymouth  lindens  are  rivaled  in 
size  and  spread  by  a  group  of  three  on  the 
Cotuit  road  on  the  southern  side  of  the  town 
of  Sandwich.  The  largest  of  these  is  about 
15  feet  in  circumference,  and  is  the  very 
counterpart  of  the  linden  on  Cole's  Hill, 
Plymouth,  just  described. 


CHAPTER  IV 
THE  GUSHING  ELM 

Who  does  his  duty  is  a  question 
Too  complex  to  be  solved  by  me, 
But  he,  I  venture  the  suggestion, 
Does  part  of  his  that  plants  a  tree. 

Lowell 

THE   summer   tourist   on    his    way   to 
Cape  Cod  has  often  passed  through 
the   portion   of  Hingham   lying   just 
to  the  south  of  Nantasket  Junction  near  the 
Cohasset    town    line.     He    has    noticed,    on 
the  right  hand  side  of  the  road,  a  very  large 
and  symmetrical  tree,   known  as  the  Gush- 
ing Elm,  bearing  the  following  inscription: 

UNDER  THIS  TREE  IN  1775 

PASTOR  JOHN  BROWN  PREACHED 

TO  A  COMPANY  OF  COHASSET  SOLDIERS 

OF  COL.  GREATON'S  REGIMENT  WHICH 

SERVED  IN  THE  SIEGE  OF  BOSTON 

Colonel  Greaton  was  in  command  of  that 
portion  of  the  Patriot  army  which  was 
located  at  Roxbury  in  1775,  and  his  name 
occurs  many  times  in  connection  with  mill- 


THE  GUSHING  ELM 

tary  movements  in  that  vicinity  during  the 
"siege/'  Pastor  John  Brown  was  a  Harvard 
graduate  of  the  class  of  1741,  and  was  or- 
dained pastor  of  the  second  parish  in  Hingham 
Sept.  2,  1747.  He  died  in  1791  at  the  age 
of  sixty-seven  years.1 

The  Hingham  chapter  of  the  Daughters 
of  the  American  Revolution  selected  the 
inscription  and  placed  it  upon  the  tree  a 
number  of  years  ago.  It  commemorates  one 
event,  probably  among  a  large  number  of 
others  that  were  never  recorded;  for  Hing- 
ham, during  Revolutionary  times,  was  the 
scene  of  more  than  ordinary  activity,  and 
the  road  on  which  the  tree  stands  led  directly 
to  Cohasset  and  other  coast  towns  further 
south.  In  1775  the  town  maintained  a  regu- 
lar garrison  at  Broad  Cove,  and  was  also 
one  of  the  sea-coast  towns  called  upon  for 
assistance  in  protecting  its  neighbors  from 
British  attack.  The  terrible  strain  of  long- 
continued  service  began  to  be  felt  in  1776, 
and  in  March  of  that  year  the  town  council 
appointed  General  Lincoln  as  its  agent  to 

1  "  Hist,  of  Hingham,"  published  by  the  town,  vol.  2,  p.  94. 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

appeal  to  General  Washington  for  relief. 
But  as  the  historians  of  Hingham  grimly 
point  out,  "the  general  seems  to  have  had 
better  use  for  his  troops,  both  then  and 
later.  For  on  Sunday,  March  17,  General 
Howe  evacuated  Boston  and  General  Put- 
nam and  General  Ward  entered  the  town. 
The  next  day  General  Heath  with  five  regi- 
ments was  ordered  to  New  York,  and  with 
him  went  our  townsmen  under  the  two 
Captain  Cushings."1 

The  name  of  Gushing  has  been  justly 
bestowed  upon  the  "ancestral  elm."  The 
family  came  from  Hingham  in  old  England 
and  settled  in  Hingham  in  New  England 
as  early  as  1638.  Opposite  this  elm  tree, 
on  the  other  side  of  the  street,  stands  a  fine 
old  colonial  house  owned  by  Mr.  Samuel 
Gushing  whose  ancestor,  Stephen  Gushing, 
planted  the  tree  in  1729,  three  years  before 
the  birth  of  Washington.  Stephen  Gushing 
was  the  son  of  Peter  Gushing,  who  built 
the  house  in  1678.  The  tree  originally  stood 

1  Capts.  Peter  and  Pyam  Gushing,  "  History  of  Hingham/* 
Vol.  i,  p.  294. 

£283 


THE  GUSHING  ELM 

on  the  same  side  of  the  street  and  was  several 
feet  in  height  when  transplanted  to  its 
present  site. 

At  the  age  of  nearly  two  hundred  years 
it  stands  a  marvel  of  strength  and  symmetry, 
a  monument  to  the  illustrious  dead  who 
went  from  Hingham  to  fight  for  their  coun- 
try, and  the  pride  of  their  descendants  who 
now  hold  it  dear. 

Some  idea  of  its  striking  appearance  may 
be  had  from  the  photograph.  George  B. 
Emerson  gives  an  excellent  word  picture  on 
the  Gushing  Elm  in  his  work,  '"The  Trees 
and  Shrubs  of  Massachusetts."  He  says: 
"On  the  25  of  July,  1839,  I  measured  it  in 
company  of  Mr.  Wm.  Oakes,  a  botanist  of 
Ipswich.  It  was  13  feet  in  circumference 
at  4^  feet  from  the  ground.  At  from  10 
to  12  feet  eight  large  branches  are  thrown 
out,  which  sweep  upwards  in  a  broad  curve, 
making  a  noble  round  head  sixty  or  seventy 
feet  high.  The  immense  roots  which,  be- 
ginning at  three  or  four  feet  above  the  surface 
stand  out  like  abutments  in  all  directions, 
chiefly  east  and  west,  give  an  idea  of  per- 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

manency  and  vast  strength.  The  extreme 
spread  of  the  limbs  is  45  feet  from  the  trunk, 
making  the  breadth  of  the  head  more  than 
90  feet.  In  the  angle  of  one  of  the  branches 
when  I  measured  it,  was  growing  a  current 
bush,  bearing  ripe  fruit." 

So  it  stands  to-day,  in  full  vigor,  and  with 
considerably  increased  dimensions.  Only  one 
of  the  eight  huge  limbs  has  died  out;  the 
spread  of  the  branches  is  over  100  feet,  and 
the  circumference  of  the  trunk,  when  the 
author  measured  it  in  the  summer  of  1916, 
was  i6|  feet,  4!  feet  from  the  ground. 

There  are  many  other  beautiful  trees  in 
Hingham,  some  of  which  might  be  called 
historic,  though  very  little  has  been  re- 
corded concerning  them.  The  elm  in  front 
of  the  town  offices  is  16  feet  2  inches  in  cir- 
cumference at  breast  height,  and  has  a 
height  of  60  feet  and  a  spread  of  100  feet. 
The  old  buttonwood  on  Leavitt  street  is  14 \ 
feet  at  2j  feet  from  the  ground,  at  which 
point  the  first  limb  is  thrown  out  in  an 
easterly  direction;  the  height  is  55  feet, 
and  the  spread  of  branches  80  feet.  On 

C303 


THE  GUSHING  ELM 

Main  street,  South  Hingham,  on  the  lawn  of 
Mr.  Brown's  estate,  there  is  an  old  elm 
which  was  transplanted  in  1772.  Its  cir- 
cumference at  breast  height  is  n  feet,  7 
inches,  its  height  55  feet  and  the  spread 
of  its  branches  80  feet. 


CHAPTER  V 
THE  LAKEVILLE  ELMS 

The  after-quiet  —  the  calm  full  fraught; 
Thou  too  wilt  silent  stand,  — 
Silent  as  I,  and  lonesome  as  the  land. 

Herman  Melville 

IN  a  broad  field  near  Middleboro,  on  the 
road  to  New  Bedford,  there  are  standing 
at  the  present  time  two  beautiful  and 
towering  "wine  glass"  elms.  As  you  ap- 
proach them  from  the  north  they  give  the 
impression  of  being  so  close  together  that 
the  tips  of  the  branches  interlock;  but 
upon  entering  the  field  by  way  of  the  cart 
road  leading  in  from  the  main  highway  they 
break  upon  the  view  as  two  separate  columns, 
seventy-five  feet  apart,  lifting  their  heads 
upward  into  the  sky.  Each  is  slender  and 
graceful,  not  possessed  of  great  age,  but 
singularly  beautiful  in  its  isolation  from 
everything  save  field  and  sky  and  distant 
woods. 


THE  LAKEVILLE  ELMS 

They  are  considered  historic  in  that  they 
stand  in  the  middle  of  what  was  once  a 
training-field,  where  the  soldiers  of  this  com- 
munity were  mustered  for  service  in  the 
Civil  War. 

The  men  who  enlisted  from  Middleboro 
and  its  environs  served  their  country  with 
honor  and  distinction,  notably  among  the 
first  battles  of  the  war.  The  towering  elms, 
ever  a  fitting  memorial  to  the  brave,  stand 
here  as  if  rapt  in  silent  reflection,  garlanded 
almost  to  the  ground  with  green  leaves, 
overlooking  the  place  where  some  of  the 
boys  in  blue  prepared  themselves  for  the 
great  crisis. 

The  larger  tree  of  the  two  has  a  height  of 
60  feet,  a  spread  of  65  feet  and  a  circum- 
ference, at  breast  height,  of  8|  feet.  The 
smaller  tree  is  60  feet  in  height,  50  feet  in 
spread  and  7  feet  in  circumference. 


CHAPTER  VI 
ISLAND  GROVE 

Lift  again  the  stately  emblem  on  the  Bay  State's  rusted  shield, 
Give  to  northern  winds  the  Pine  Tree  on  our  banner's  tattered 

field*  Wbittier 

THIS  beautiful  stand  of  white  pine 
trees  at  Abington  has  come  to  be 
known  locally  as  Island  Grove,  but 
generally  as  Abolition  Grove,  and  is  often 
pointed  out  to  the  stranger  within  our  midst 
as  "the  place  where  the  Civil  War  began." 
Here,  in  the  open  air,  sheltered  only  by  the 
whispering  pines,  great  men,  and  women, 
too,  stood  and  delivered  speeches  in  the 
cause  of  abolition  comparable  to  any  that 
were  delivered  in  the  celebrated  halls  of  our 
great  cities,  and  that  produced  an  effect 
comparable  to  John  Brown's  raid  or  Uncle 
Tom's  Cabin. 

Webster,  "a  man  who  loved  mountains, 
and  great  trees,  wide  horizons,  the  ocean,  the 
western  plains,  and  the  great  monuments 


c/) 


ISLAND  GROVE 

of  literature  and  art," 1  spoke  in  this  historic 
place;  and  Garrison,  who  for  many  years 
"toiled  o'er  his  types  one  poor  unlearned 
young  man,"  was  heard  by  the  worthy 
people  of  Abington  and  the  surrounding 
towns  beneath  these  same  white  pines.  Here 
on  the  first  of  August,  1854,  he  said,  when 
speaking  on  the  subject  of  West  Indian 
Emancipation, ---"The  great  event  which  we 
celebrate  to-day,  shows  that  slavery  can  only 
be  overthrown  by  adherence  to  principle." 2 

The  full  list  of  those  who  spoke  here 
includes  .some  of  the  greatest  minds  of  the 
Civil  War  period.  Most  of  the  speeches 
were  never  preserved,  and  the  historian  must 
search  through  many  sources  to  find  even 
a  record  of  the  dates  on  which  they  were 
delivered. 

A  huge  boulder  within  the  grove  marks 
the  spot  where  the  orators  were  wont  to 
stand  when  they  spoke;  and  upon  this 
boulder  a  large  copper  plate  bears  the  fol- 
lowing inscription: 


1  Lodge,  "  Life  of  Webster,"  p.  353. 

2  From  the  Selectmen's  Annual  Report,  1854. 


C3S3 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

MEETINGS    IN   THE    CAUSE    OF   ABOLITION 

OF    SLAVERY    WERE    HELD    IN   THIS   GROVE 

YEARLY   FROM    1846   TO    1865.      ON   THIS   SPOT 

WILLIAM    LLOYD   GARRISON, 
WENDELL   PHILLIPS,    EDMUND    QUINCY, 

THEO.    PARKER,    FRANCIS   JACKSON, 
PARKER   PILLSBURY,    GEORGE   THOMPSON, 

ABBY    KELLY    FOSTER,    LUCY    STONE 
AND   OTHERS   ADDRESSED   THE    PEOPLE. 

SUFFERING   ALL   MANNER    OF   ABUSE 

THE   ABOLITIONISTS    STOOD    STEADFAST    UNTIL 

THE    SLAVE    WAS   MADE    FREE 

Reader  take  beed,  stand  for  the  right, 

though  power  and  wealth  and  all  your 

Jellows  turn  against  you  and  persecute  you. 

I  am  in  earnest  —  /  will  not  equivocate 
I  will  not  excuse  —  /  will  not  retreat 
A  single  inch  —  and  I  will  be  beard. 

Garrison 

ERECTED    BY   AN   ABINGTON    SOLDIER 

WHO   SERVED    AND   WAS   WOUNDED 
IN   THE   WAR    WHICH    ENDED   SLAVERY 

The  Abington  soldier  who  presented  this 
memorial  to  the  town  was  Moses  N.  Arnold. 
Among  the  invited  guests  who  were  present 
and  participated  in  the  exercises  were: 
Judges  Robert  O.  Harris  and  G.  W.  Kelley, 
Hon.  A.  E.  Pillsbury,  Francis  Garrison,  Wm. 
Lloyd  Garrison,  (Mrs.)  Helen  B.  Coggeshall 
and  Henry  B.  Blackwell. 

To  the  abolitionists  belongs  the  distinction 
of  rendering  the  grove  historic.  In  addition, 

C363 


ISLAND  GROVE 

the  people  of  Abington  have  increased  its 
fame  by  gathering  beneath  its  shade  for  the 
celebration  of  all  anniversaries  commemor- 
ating the  founding  of  their  town,  as  well  as 
for  other  noted  events. 

In  1862  a  celebration  in  commemoration 
of  the  incorporation  of  the  town  was  attended 
by  the  Governor  and  members  of  the  State 
departments,  and  by  some  of  the  veterans 
of  the  war  of  1812.  The  opening  words  of 
Governor  Andrew's  speech  are  worthy  of 
quotation  here: 

"Well  have  the  men  and  women  of  Massa- 
chusetts met  and  performed  the  solemn  task 
of  dreadful  war.  More  than  forty  thousand 
of  her  sons  —  bravest  and  best  —  have  been 
poured  from  her  teeming  lap.  Fighting  to- 
day they  stand,  wherever  floats  our  coun- 
try's starry  banner,  on  land  or  sea." 

This  event  was  followed,  in  1865,  by  a 
reception  to  the  returned  soldiers  and  sailors 
from  Abington  and  "the  day  was  ushered 
in  and  closed  by  the  ringing  of  bells  and 
the  firing  of  cannon." 1 

1  From  the  Selectmen's  Annual  Report  1865. 

C373 


• 
THE   HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

The  most  recent  celebration  held  at  Island 
Grove  was  that  of  the  two-hundredth  anni- 
versary of  the  founding  of  the  town,  June 
10,  1912.  On  this  date  the  beautiful  bridge 
and  gateway  leading  to  the  grove  were 
dedicated  to  the  public  use. 


C383 


THE    ENTRANCE    TO    ISLAND    GROVE 


THE    ELIOT    OAK 


CHAPTER  VII 
ELIOT  OAK  AND  OTHER  TREES  OF  SOUTH  NATICK 

For  underneath  thy  shade,  in  days  remote, 
Seated  like  Abraham  at  eventide 
Beneath  the  oaks  of  Mamre,  the  unknown 
Apostle  of  the  Indians,  Eliot,  wrote 
His  Bible  in  a  language  that  hath  died 
And  is  forgotten,  save  by  thee  alone. 

Longfellow 

JOHN    ELIOT,    justly    styled   Apostle   to 
the    Indians,    and    founder    of    Natick, 
both  in  church  and  state,  first  gathered 
the  red  men  together  "from  their  scattered 
kind   of  life   into   civil   society"    within   the 
shades  of  the  forest,  and  preached  to  them 
beneath   a   white   oak,    now   a   mighty   tree, 
universally  known  as  the  Eliot  Oak. 

While  established  as  a  teacher  of  the 
church  in  Roxbury,  about  1632,  Eliot  was 
"moved  to  compassion  for  the  ignorant  and 
depraved  state  of  the  Indians,"  and  re- 
solved to  devote  a  part  of  his  time  to  their 
instruction.  He  undertook  the  almost  hope- 
less task  of  learning  their  language  and 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

found  that  the  length  and  harshness  of  their 
words  were  almost  overwhelming.  Cotton 
Mather  says  that  men  would  stand  aghast 
at  some  of  the  instances  —  sighting  as  an 
example  the  expression  "our  lusts"  which 
requires  a  word  of  thirty-two  letters  in  the 
Indian  language.  "Behold,  ye  Americans," 
says  he,  "the  greatest  honor  that  ever  ye 
were  partakers  of!  The  Bible  was  printed 
here  at  our  Cambridge;  and  is  the  only 
Bible  that  ever  was  printed  in  all  America, 
from  the  very  foundations  of  the  world. 
The  whole  translation  he  writ  with  but  one 
pen,  which  pen  had  it  not  been  lost,  would 
have  certainly  deserved  a  richer  case  than 
was  bestowed  upon  that  pen  with  which 
Holland  writ  his  translation  of  Plutarch." l 

In  loyalty  to  the  man  who  did  so  much 
for  them,  the  Indians  built  the  first  meeting- 
house near  the  spot  where  their  apostle 
was  accustomed  to  speak  to  them.  The 
white  oak  stood  at  its  easterly  end.  At  the 
westerly  end  there  was  a  red  oak  of  vast 
proportions.  In  1850  when  this  tree  was 

1  Mather's  "  Magnalia,"  B  III,  p.  197. 
C403 


ELIOT  OAK  AND  OTHER  TREES  OF  SOUTH  NATICK 

cut  down  it  measured  17  feet  in  circum- 
ference at  2  feet  from  the  ground.1  The 
Eliot  Church  (Unitarian)  in  South  Natick 
now  marks  the  spot  where  stood  the  Indian 
meeting-house. 

Several  interesting  stories  have  come  down 
through  the  years  concerning  Eliot's  first 
efforts  among  the  red  men.  There  is  no 
record  to  prove  conclusively  whether  they 
originated  at  the  foot  of  the  oak  tree,  or 
within  the  little  chapel,  but  they  carry  with 
them  a  background  of  spreading  branches, 
green  leaves  and  acorns;  and  we  can  imagine 
the  venerable  preacher,  Bible  in  hand,  his 
back  to  the  tree  trunk,  and  Indians  seated 
in  groups  upon  the  ground  in  the  midst  of 
the  forest. 

"While  engaged  in  the  translation  of  his 
Indian  Bible,  Eliot  came  upon  the  following 
passage  in  Judges  v,  28:  'The  mother  of 
Sisera  looked  out  at  the  window  and  cried 
through  the  lattice.'  Not  knowing  an  Indian 
word  to  signify  lattice,  he  applied  to  several 
of  the  natives,  and  endeavored  to  describe 

1  Bacon,  "Hist,  of  Natick,"  p.  12. 

C40 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

to  them  what  a  lattice  resembled.  He  de- 
scribed it  as  framework,  netting,  wicker, 
or  whatever  occurred  to  him  as  illustrative, 
when  they  gave  him  a  long,  barbarous  and 
unpronounceable  word,  as  are  most  of  the 
words  in  their  language.  Some  years  later, 
when  he  had  learned  their  dialect  more 
correctly  he  is  said  to  have  laughed  out- 
right, upon  finding  that  the  Indians  had 
given  him  the  true  term  for  'eel  pot.'  'The 
mother  of  Sisera  looked  out  at  the  window 
and  cried  through  the  eel  pot!'"1 

"One  of  these  sons  of  the  forest  is  said  to 
have  discovered  a  more  appropriate  emblem 
of  the  Trinity  than  even  the  triangle  itself. 
The  missionary  had  been  lecturing  on  this 
sublime  and  incomprehensible  mystery,  when 
one  of  his  red  auditors,  after  a  long  and 
thoughtful  pause,  thus  addressed  him,  'I 
believe,  Mr.  Minister,  I  understand  you. 
The  Trinity  is  just  like  water  and  ice  and 
snow.  The  water  is  one,  the  ice  is  another, 
and  the  snow  is  another,  and  yet  they  are 
all  water/"2 

1  Bigelow,  p.  84.  2  Bigelow,  p.  85. 


ELIOT  OAK  AND  OTHER  TREES  OF  SOUTH  NATICK 

The  high  esteem  in  which  Eliot  was  held 
by  the  Praying  Indians  passed  on  as  a  heri- 
tage to  some  of  the  ministers  who  were  called 
to  Natick  at  a  later  time.  In  1722  a  depu- 
tation of  Indians  came  to  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Peabody's  house  bearing  two  elms  on  their 
shoulders.  These  they  presented  to  their 
minister  and  desired  permission  to  set  them 
out  in  front  of  his  door  as  "trees  of  friend- 
ship." They  flourished  for  ninety  years  when 
one  was  struck  by  lightning,  and  the  other 
declined  rapidly  and  was  removed.  They 
measured  twenty-one  feet  at  one  foot  from 
the  ground,  and  thirteen  feet  at  the  smallest 
part  of  the  trunk.1  In  1753  a  like  request 
was  made  by  the  Indians  of  their  minister, 
Mr.  Badger,  and  the  same  ceremony  took 
place.  The  Hon.  John  Welles  observes, 
(1826),  "These  trees  are  now  in  full  vigor, 
having  been  set  out  seventy-three  years. 
They  are  about  fifteen  feet  in  circumference 
near  the  ground,  and  have  given  in  circum- 
ference nearly  i|  inches  in  growth  a  year." 
The  elm  now  pointed  out  as  the  remaining 

1  Bigelow,  p.  12,  Bacon,  Chap.  10. 

£433 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

"tree  of  friendship"  in  front  of  the  Badger 
house  measures  loj  feet  in  circumference 
at  breast  height.  There  is,  however,  an 
elm  near  the  road,  to  which  Welles  may  have 
referred,  that  is  13^  feet  in  circumference 
at  breast  height,  and  a  little  over  15  feet 
near  the  ground.  The  tree  in  the  yard  is  in 
direct  line  with  the  stump  of  a  larger  tree 
claimed  to  have  been  its  companion. 

Several  other  trees  have  become  identified 
with  the  history  of  the  town.  An  elm, 
described  by  Bacon  as  the  finest  of  all  blew 
down  only  a  few  years  ago.  The  spread  of 
its  branches  was  over  one  hundred  feet. 
The  elm  which  stands  on  the  margin  of  the 
Charles  River,  not  far  from  Eliot's  monu- 
ment, is  one  of  the  most  magnificent  speci- 
mens of  its  kind  to  be  seen  anywhere.  The 
curves  of  its  powerful  branches,  were  it 
situated  on  higher  ground,  would  be  visible 
for  miles.  Other  characteristics  are  its  ap- 
parent health  and  strength. 

A  very  beautiful  elm  may  be  seen  about 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  further  up  the  street. 
Under  this  tree  Washington  stood  and  con- 


ELIOT  OAK  AND  OTHER  TREES  OF  SOUTH  NATICK 

gratulated  Major  Hesekiah  Broad  for  his 
services  in  behalf  of  the  Colonies.  The 
circumference  is  11  feet,  8  inches,  the  height 
65  feet,  and  the  spread  85  feet. 

On  the  rising  ground  to  the  northwest 
stands  the  "Carver  Hill  Chestnut,"  a  huge 
and  towering  tree,  the  last  survivor  of  a 
chestnut  ridge  that  made  its  owners  wealthy. 
Mention  may  also  be  made  of  the  Hartwell 
Oak  on  Pleasant  Street,  noted  for  its  re- 
markable shape  and  for  the  wide  spread 
of  its  branches;  and  of  a  very  old  and  beauti- 
ful oak  near  the  road  on  the  way  to  Wellesley 
from  South  Natick.  The  latter  is  also  claimed 
to  mark  the  site  of  one  of  Washington's  rest- 
ing places,  and  is  15  J  feet  in  circumference. 

Among  all  this  interesting  collection  the 
Eliot  Oak  holds  the  first  place  in  the  minds 
of  travelers  to  the  locality  of  South  Natick. 
It  is  not  so  large  as  might  be  expected  from 
its  age,  and  like  Holmes' s  old  elm  of  Rhode 
Island,  must  tremble  sometimes  as  the  tape 
is  applied  to  its  trunk.  But  the  white  oak 
is  seldom  conspicuous  for  rapid  growth,  and 
we  are  not  in  any  way  disappointed  with  the 

C453 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

dimensions  of  this  one;  its  age  is  plainly 
written  upon  its  noble  frame.  The  circum- 
ference of  the  trunk  is  15  feet,  2  inches,  the 
height  is  61  feet,  and  the  spread  of  the 
branches  is  100  feet. 


CHAPTER  VIII 
AVERY  OAK  AND  OTHER  TREES  OF  DEDHAM 

That  old  familiar  tree, 
Whose  glory  and  renown 
Are  spread  o'er  land  and  sea  — 
And  wouldst  thou  hew  it  down? 
Woodman,  forbear  thy  stroke! 
Cut  not  its  earth-bound  ties; 
Oh,  spare  that  aged  oak 
Now  towering  to  the  skies! 

IN  the  days  when  navies  were   composed 
entirely    of  wooden   ships,    and   America 
was    known   as   a   great   source   of  ship- 
building materials,  the  white  oak  was  one  of 
the  most  sought-after  of  all  our  New  England 
trees;  and  in  spite  of  the  great  quantity  of 
virgin  timber  that  still  remained  among  the 
colonies  at  that  time,  the  price  was  unusually 
good  for  individual  trees  whose  size  and  shape 
made  them  suitable  for  ship-construction. 

If  all  the  stately  white  oaks  which  were 
built  into  the  sturdy  frame  of  "Old  Iron- 
sides" could  be  accounted  for,  we  would 
have  a  list  of  historic  trees  whose  adventures 
would  fill  a  thrilling  volume.  But  history 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

is  silent,  except  in  a  few  instances,  concerning 
where  the  trees  were  bought  whose  trunks 
composed  the  old-time  frigates.  A  white 
oak  near  Danvers,  known  as  "King  George's 
Whipping  Post,"  because  condemned  per- 
sons were  often  tied  to  a  ring  in  its  trunk 
and  flogged  according  to  the  seriousness  of 
the  crime,  was  purchased  for  use  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  frigate  Essex.  It  is  said  that 
the  iron  ring  was  actually  found  in  the  trunk 
of  the  tree  when  the  timbers  were  hewed.1 

The  oldest  white  oak  in  Dedham  bears 
the  distinction  of  having  once  been  selected 

THE  SALEM   FRIGATE 
TAKE  NOTICE 

1  Ye  Sons  of  Freedom !  all  true  lovers  of  the  Liberty  of  your 
Country!  step  forth,  and  give  your  assistance  in  building  the 
Frigate,  to  oppose  French  insolence  and  piracy.  Let  every 
man  in  possession  of  a  White  Oak  Tree,  be  ambitious  to  be  fore- 
most in  hurrying  down  the  timber  to  Salem,  and  fill  the  comple- 
ment wanting,  where  the  noble  structure  is  to  be  fabricated, 
to  maintain  your  rights  upon  the  Seas,  and  make  the  name 
of  America  respected  among  the  nations  of  the  world.  Your 
largest  and  longest  trees  are  wanted,  and  the  arms  of  them  for 
Knees  and  Rifing  Timber.  Four  trees  are  wanted  for  the 
Keel,  which  all  together  will  measure  146  feet  in  length,  and 
hew  1 6  inches  square.  Please  to  call  on  the  Subscriber,  who 
wants  to  make  contracts  for  large  or  small  quantities,  as  may 
suit  best,  and  will  pay  the  READY  CASH. 

ENOS  BRIGGS 

oa/em,  Nov.  23,   1798 


AVERY  OAK  AND  OTHER  TREES  OF  DEDHAM 

as  suitable  material  for  the  celebrated  and 
much  honored  frigate  that  still  lies  at  an- 
chor off  Charlestown  —  Old  Ironsides.  The 
amount  offered  was  seventy  dollars.  The 
offer  was  refused  because  the  owner's  wife, 
Mrs.  William  Avery,  who  greatly  admired  the 
tree,  prevailed  upon  her  husband  to  spare  it. 

This  took  place  in  the  eighteenth  century, 
and  the  Avery  oak  is  still  with  us,  gnarled 
but  vigorous.  Along  the  whole  length  of  the 
trunk,  and  well  into  the  main  branch,  may 
be  seen  a  deep  furrow,  ten  inches  wide  or 
more  near  the  ground,  evidently  caused  by 
lightning.  A  healthy  cambium,  and  some 
surgical  assistance,  have  enabled  the  tree 
to  practically  outgrow  the  adversities  of 
former  years. 

A  record  for  the  year  1847  gives  the  size  as 
sixteen  feet  in  circumference  near  the  ground.1 
The  present  circumference  at  one  foot  above 
the  ground  is  twenty-three  feet,  five  inches, 
and  the  circumference  at  breast  height  is 
now  sixteen  feet,  nine  inches.  To  these 
figures  may  be  added  the  height,  which  is 

1  Mann,  "Annals  of  Dedham,"  p.  125. 

C493 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

sixty-eight  feet,  and  the  spread  of  branches, 
which  is  ninety-three  feet. 

The  tree  is  older  than  the  town,  and  is 
claimed  on  the  basis  of  tradition  to  mark 
the  site  of  the  first  religious  meeting  ever 
held  in  Dedham.  Dr.  William  Avery,  for 
whom  the  tree  was  named,  caused  a  chair 
to  be  made  from  some  of  the  branches  which 
blew  off,  and  as  an  accompanying  memento, 
a  table,  constructed  of  timbers  from  the 
old  Avery  house.  The  chair  and  table  he 
presented  to  the  Dedham  Historical  Society. 
The  tree  also  has  the  distinction  of  being 
adopted  as  a  model  for  the  town  seal.  In 
1886  Mr.  Joseph  H.  Clark  presented  the 
tree,  and  the  ground  on  which  it  stands, 
to  the  Historical  Society,  and  it  is  still  owned 
and  cared  for  by  that  organization.  The 
location  is  on  East  street,  a  short  distance 
from  the  point  of  its  intersection  with  East- 
ern avenue,  and  near  the  Fairbanks  house. 

There  seems  to  be  no  recorded  history 
of  the  faithful  old  white  oak  that  stands 
within  the  village  pound  on  High  street. 
Surely  this  oak  with  its  great  age  could 


AVERY  OAK  AND  OTHER  TREES  OF  DEDHAM 

relate  a  good  Pickwickian  story  were  it 
endowed  with  the  gift  of  tongues.  At  any 
event  it  is  considered  historic  and  has  been 
decorated  with  a  legend  — 

THIS    POUND    BUILT 

ABOUT    I7OO 

CIRCUMFERENCE    OF    OAK 
19    FEET 

The  circumference  of  this  tree  at  breast 
height  is  16  feet,  3  inches;  the  height  is 
45  feet,  and  the  spread  of  the  branches  60 
feet. 

Three  English  elms  greatly  esteemed  by  the 
people  of  Dedham  are  still  standing  on  Court 
street.  They  are  now  declining  but  retain 
much  of  their  original  beauty.  The  largest 
is  15  feet,  10  inches  in  circumference.  The 
other  two  have  a  girth  of  13  feet.  The 
famous  "Wart  Tree,"  also  an  English  elm, 
succumbed  and  was  removed  in  1908. 


CHAPTER  IX 
THE  HOLLISTON  ELMS 

Be  it  ours  to  meditate, 
In  these  calm  shades,  thy  milder  majesty. 

Bryant 

WHEN  the  Honorable  Levi  Lincoln 
was  Governor  of  Massachusetts 
(1825-34)  he  was  accustomed  to 
drive,  at  certain  intervals,  from  the  capital 
in  Boston  to  his  home  in  Worcester  by  way 
of  the  road  leading  through  Natick,  Sherborn 
and  HoIIiston.  He  was  a  lover  of  nature, 
and  elected  to  travel  where  his  itinerary 
brought  him  in  closest  communion  with  his 
favorite  trees  and  hills.  Governor  Bullock, 
speaking  before  the  Worcester  Agricultural 
Society,  of  which  Mr.  Lincoln  was  president 
during  the  later  period  of  his  life,  said  of  him, 
that  "trees,  above  all  things,  Governor  Lincoln 
believed  in  and  admired." 

Chief    among    the    elms    which    attracted 


THE  HOLLISTON   ELMS 

his  attention  during  the  years  of  his  ad- 
ministration of  the  State  government  were 
the  two  trees  towering,  then  as  now,  close 
to  the  highway  near  East  HoIIiston.  It 
was  the  Governor's  habit  to  request  his 
driver  to  stop  where  the  trees  might  be 
viewed  to  the  best  advantage,  and  there, 
for  a  few  silent  moments,  His  Excellency 
would  absorb  the  influence  of  their  omnipres- 
ence; he  would  then  drive  on  with  uncovered 
head,  deeming  that  such  manifestations  of 
the  work  of  the  Great  Craftsman  deserved 
the  respect  and  admiration  of  all  men,  what- 
ever their  rank  and  station  in  life. 

Governor  Lincoln  was  not  the  only  high 
public  official  on  whom  the  HoIIiston  Elms, 
even  at  that  early  date,  had  made  their 
impression.  The  great  Washington  had 
passed  this  way  in  1789,  and  had  rested 
beneath  their  shade.  The  Father  of  His 
Country  was  far  from  demonstrative,  but 
it  is  known  that  he  sincerely  revered  the 
great  monuments  of  nature,  and,  either  by 
chance  or  design,  selected  his  ground,  when 
a  halt  was  called,  with  the  instinct  of  a  true 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

naturalist  —  at  least  if  we  are  to  judge 
from  the  number  of  times  he  is  reported  to 
have  rested  under  great  trees. 

The  elms  at  HoIIiston  were  planted  about 
the  year  1747.  They  may  have  been  six  or 
seven  feet  in  circumference  during  Washing- 
ton's time,  and  were  probably  approaching 
the  size  of  second-class  elms  when  Governor 
Lincoln  first  noticed  them.  They  seem  to 
have  escaped  the  attention  of  those  who 
would  have  given  them  a  place  in  literature 
—  as  suggested  in  the  following  newspaper 
clipping  from  the  Framingham  Tribune  in 
possession  of  Col.  G.  A.  Flagg  of  HoIIiston. 

Editor  of  the  Tribune: 

There  are  two  elm  trees  in  HoIIiston  which  should  be  classed 
among  the  big  trees  of  the  state. 

I  have  seen  no  mention  of  them  in  any  account  of  the  famous 
trees  of  Massachusetts.  They  are  situated  on  the  Main  street 
between  HoIIiston  and  East  HoIIiston,  in  front  of  what  is  known 
as  the  Col.  Whiting  place,  now  owned  by  Mr.  Flagg.  We  made 
an  accurate  measurement  of  them  to-day.  The  smallest  meas- 
ures one  foot  from  the  ground,  nineteen  feet  in  circumference, 
four  feet  from  the  ground,  sixteen  feet  in  circumference. 

The  shape  of  this  tree  is  something  remarkable.  The  trunk 
is  almost  square,  having  four  sides.  Three  of  the  sides  measure 
about  five  feet  each. 

The  larger  of  the  two  trees  measures,  one  foot  from  the 
ground,  twenty-four  feet,  the  large  roots  spreading  outward. 
Four  feet  from  the  ground  it  measures  seventeen  feet  in  cir- 
cumference. The  trees  appear  perfectly  sound,  and  the  branches 

C54H 


v    -1   Y    i 


THE  HOLLISTON   ELMS 

not  spreading  outward,  or  overhanging,  but  towering  to  a  height 
of  one  hundred  feet. 

I  know  of  no  trees  in  this  section  that  will  compare  with  them. 

These  magnificent  elms  were  planted  by  Aaron  Phipps  during 
his  apprenticeship  to  Dea.  James  Russell  (blacksmith)  between 
1747  and  1751  (see  Morse's  history  of  Sherborn  and  HoIIiston). 

It  is  said  Washington  rested  under  these  trees  on  his  return 
from  Boston  in  1789.  He  spent  the  night  in  Uxbridge,  and, 
HoIIiston  being  halfway  between  Boston  and  Uxbridge,  he  very 
likely  stopped  here  to  dinner. 

Yours  truly, 

THOMAS  A.   DICKINSON 

The  larger  of  the  two  trees  is  quite  as 
"remarkable"  in  its  way  as  the  smaller, 
and  is  certainly  more  "magnificent."  It 
is  one  of  those  elms  whose  habit  it  is  to  cover 
its  trunk  with  small  twigs,  and  appears, 
in  summer,  like  a  fountain  of  leaves  rising 
out  of  the  earth.  Unquestionably  no  pair 
of  elms  in  Massachusetts  can  surpass  these 
in  size  and  grandeur;  none  give  greater  hope 
of  preserving  their  beauty  far  into  the  future. 

The  author's  measurements  are  the  follow- 
ing: for  the  larger  tree  the  circumference 
at  breast  height  is  i8J  feet,  the  height  is 
92  feet,  and  the  spread  80  feet.  For  the 
smaller  the  circumference  is  i6J  feet,  the 
height  85  feet,  and  the  spread  85  feet. 

By  way  of  comparison,  a  pair  of  elms  in 

1:553 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

the  town  of  South  Chelmsford,  another  in  the 
town  of  Lincoln  may  be  briefly  referred  to. 
For,  in  some  respects,  the  first  named  are 
more  beautiful  as  a  group  than  even  the  Hol- 
liston  elms,  while  the  latter  have  that  pecul- 
iar interest  and  charm  that  arise  from  great 
age.  The  South  Chelmsford  elms  are  on  the 
W.  R.  Winning  farm  not  far  from  Carlisle 
Station.  Each  is  14  feet  in  circumference, 
and  the  combined  spread  of  the  branches  is 
125  feet.  They  are  always  conspicuous  for 
the  number  of  birds  that  nest  in  their 
branches,  chiefly  orioles  and  vireos.  The 
elms  in  Lincoln  stand  directly  in  front  of 
the  oldest  house  in  the  town  about  seventy- 
five  yards  from  the  State  road  leading  from 
Concord  to  Boston,  and  approximately  two 
miles  east  from  Concord.  They  are  about 
15  feet  in  circumference,  and  are  beginning 
to  decline.  The  branches  have  a  highly 
muscular  appearance  but  have  suffered  some- 
what from  insect  pests. 


THE    ROBY    ELM 


CHAPTER  X 
THE  ROBY  ELM 

Over  our  heads  the  branches  made 
A  canopy  of  woven  shade. 

Charles  Henry  Luders 

THE  Roby  Elm,  so  named  from  Parson 
Roby  who  planted  it  about  the  year 
1770,  stands  on   Main  street  in  the 
town    of   Saugus.1     Its    circumference    is    15 
feet,   2  inches,  spread   100  feet,   and  height 
75    feet.     The   trunk   is   of  unusual   length, 
being    about    30    feet,    and    numerous    large 
branches  sweep  upwards  for  at  least  twenty 
feet    more    before    spreading    to    form    the 
crown. 

It  is  related  that  the  parson  selected 
and  dug  this  tree  with  great  care,  placing 
it  in  his  house,  still  a  fine  old  residence  and 
one  of  the  landmarks  of  Saugus,  where  he 

1  The  reader  will  be  interested  in  comparing  this  tree  with 
the  Marlboro  Elm  described  in  Chap.  XV  both  as  to  its  form  and 
the  events  with  which  it  is  associated. 

C573 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

kept  it  until  the  following  morning,  and 
planted  it  in  a  suitable  spot  in  his  yard. 

The  parsonage  was  a  favorite  rendezvous 
for  the  Patriots  of  this  locality,  and  Mr. 
Roby  was  a  well-known  personage  among 
those  with  whom  he  labored  for  more  than 
half  a  century.  He  was  evidently  one  of 
those  ministers  who  believed  it  his  duty 
to  fight  as  well  as  to  preach,  and  had  the 
honor  of  being  presented  to  Washington  at 
Newhall  Tavern  in  East  Saugus,  where  the 
General  stopped  on  his  way  towards  Boston 
along  the  Newbury  turnpike  road. 

Parson  Roby  died  in  the  eighty-third  year 
of  his  age,  and  the  fifty-third  of  his  ministry 
here,  in  1803.  He  was  stricken  while  preach- 
ing to  his  people. 

As  a  matter  of  passing  interest  it  may  be 
said  that  in  this  old  town  there  is  a  beautiful 
specimen  of  the  black  walnut,  an  older  tree, 
supposedly,  than  the  Roby  Elm,  concerning 
which  the  author  of  "Our  Trees"  (of  Essex 
County) 1  says,  "It  is  quite  among  the  possi- 
bilities that  Cotton  Mather  could  have 

1  John  Robinson. 


THE    CHEEVER    WALNUT 


THE  ROBY  ELM 

stopped  to  rest  beneath  the  shade  of  the 
'Cheever  Walnut'  on  his  way  on  horseback, 
from  Boston,  to  witness  the  witchcraft  exe- 
cutions on  Gallows  Hill  in  Salem  in  1692." 
It  stands  on  Center  street,  and  measures  13! 
feet  in  circumference,  65  feet  in  height, 
and  87  feet  in  the  spread  of  its  branches. 


CHAPTER  XI 
THE  BOXFORD  ELM 

'Twas  my  forefather's  hand 
That  placed  it  near  his  cot. 

George  Pope  Morris 

AMONG  the  famous  Indian  characters 
whose  names  and  deeds  are  indelibly 
written  upon  the  pages  of  New  Eng- 
land history,  was  an  old  "sagamore"  named 
Masconomet  of  Agawam.  The  territory  over 
which  he  held  sway  was  bounded  on  the 
north  by  the  Merrimac  River,  on  the  west 
by  Naumkeag,  generally  known  as  Massa- 
chusetts, which  means,  —  "at  or  near  the 
great  hill,"  and  on  the  east  and  south  by  the 
Atlantic  Ocean.  From  this  old  sagamore, 
Governor  John  Winthrop  procured,  in  1638, 
a  deed  of  the  whole  tract  of  land  then  in- 
cluded in  the  town  of  Ipswich,  which  also 
included  the  present  town  of  Boxford.  Mas- 
conomet died  about  the  year  1658,  and  was 
well  known  as  a  friend  of  the  white  men. 


THE  BOXFORD  ELM 

Nearly  fifty  years  later,  in  1700-01,  his 
three  grandsons,  Samuel  English,  Joseph  Eng- 
lish and  John  Umpee,  claimed  title  to  and 
demanded  money  for  the  territory  included 
in  Boxford.  The  town  bounds  at  that  time 
were  substantially  the  same  as  now.  On 
Jan.  15,  1701,  a  town  meeting  was  held, 
at  which  John  and  Thomas  Perley,  John 
Peabody,  Thomas  Hazen  and  Joseph  Bridges 
were  chosen  a  committee  to  treat  with  the 
Indians  relative  to  their  demand,  and  were 
given  full  authority  to  settle  the  claim.  All 
of  these  men  were  influential  in  the  life  of 
the  town.  The  two  Perleys  and  John  Pea- 
body  had  served  as  representatives  in  the 
General  Court,  and  Hazen  and  Bridges  were 
at  that  time  serving  as  selectmen  of  Boxford. 

The  committee  met  the  Indians  at  Thomas 
Perley's  tavern,  which  stood  on  the  site  later 
occupied  by  the  so-called  Hale  residence,  now 
owned  by  Mr.  Harry  S.  Perkins  of  Howe's 
Village,  East  Boxford,  Mass.,  and  conspic- 
uously marked  by  a  huge  elm  tree.  In  ex- 
change for  a  new  deed  of  the  property  in 
question,  the  Indians  received  eight  pounds 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

paid  in  money  to  Samuel  English,  and  "two 
shillings  and  sixpence  in  silver  and  Rum 
and  vittles  enouf,"  paid  to  their  two  kins- 
men. 

This  transaction  settled  for  all  time  the 
question  of  title  to  the  town  of  Boxford, 
and  rendered  the  site  of  the  Thomas  Perley 
tavern  historic  ground.  When  Mr.  Perley 
died  in  1745,  his  property  was  divided 
between  his  two  sons,  Thomas  and  Asa 
Perley,  the  latter  receiving  the  portion  on 
which  the  homestead  stood.  In  1760  Asa 
Perley  took  down  the  old  tavern  and  erected 
upon  the  spot  a  new  dwelling  house,  and 
planted  directly  in  front  of  it  "the  sapling 
elm."  Both  house  and  tree  have  since  re- 
mained as  cherished  landmarks  of  Boxford, 
as  well  as  of  Essex  County. 

Out  from  the  shade  of  the  elm  tree,  where 
they  had  played  as  children,  seven  stalwart 
sons  of  Asa  Perley  marched  forth  to  the 
Revolution;  and  General  Israel  Putnam, 
who  was  a  step-son  of  their  grandfather, 
Thomas  Perley,  by  the  latter' s  marriage  to 
Elizabeth  Putnam,  widow  of  Joseph  Putnam, 


THE  BOXFORD  ELM 

spent  many  a  happy  day  beneath  this  same 
tree,  both  before  and  after  he  became  famous. 
The  sapling  elm  gradually  developed  into 
a  great  tree  —  one  of  the  greatest  in  Massa- 
chusetts. It  has,  at  the  present  time,  a 
circumference  at  breast  height  of  fourteen 
feet,  four  and  a  half  inches;  a  height  of 
seventy  feet,  and  a  spread  of  one  hundred 
feet.  At  about  ten  or  twelve  feet  from  the 
ground  the  trunk  divides  into  five  large 
branches  which  in  turn  subdivide  to  form 
a  broad  crown,  overtopping  the  old  colonial 
residence,  and  lending  its  charm  to  the  whole 
country-side.1 

1  The  authority  for  the  historic  facts  contained  in  this  chap- 
ter is  Mr.  Sidney  Perley  who  has  written  several  books  on  the 
town  of  Boxford,  among  which  are:  "History  of  Boxford," 
"Indian  Land  Titles  of  Essex  County,"  and  "Dwellings  of 
Boxford." 


1:633 


CHAPTER  XII 
THE   ENDICOTT  PEAR  TREE 

The  days  that  are  no  more,  and  come  no  more, 
When  as  a  child  you  sat  upon  my  knee, 
And  prattled  of  your  playthings,  and  the  games 
You  played  among  the  pear  trees  in  the  orchard. 

Longfellow 

WHEN  selecting  a  young  tree  for 
planting  as  a  permanent,  living 
monument,  capable  of  occupying 
a  given  spot  for  from  one  hundred  to  five 
hundred  years,  one  would  hardly  choose, 
out  of  all  the  available  species,  a  fruit  tree. 
And  yet  John  Endicott,  the  earliest  pioneer 
of  the  Massachusetts  settlement  under  the 
patent,  has  left  behind  him  a  pear  tree  which 
he  planted  about  the  year  1632,  and  which 
still  "  bears  more  fruit  than  the  whole  town 
can  eat  "  as  the  people  say  in  Danvers. 

Endicott  in  addition  to  being  a  devout 
Puritan,  and  an  intrepid  and  successful  leader, 
was  also  a  lover  of  trees  and  shrubs,  with 
an  especial  leaning  toward  the  fruit-bearing 


THE  ENDICOTT  PEAR  TREE 

varieties.  Mr.  Higginson,  who  came  to  the 
colony  in  June,  1629,  records  the  fact  that 
"Our  Governor  hath  already  planted  a  vine- 
yard, with  great  hopes  of  increase.  Also 
mulberries,  plums,  raspberries,  currants, 
chestnuts,  filberts,  walnuts,  small  nuts,  hurtle 
berries  and  haws  of  white  thorn,  near  as 
good  as  our  cherries  in  England  —  they 
grow  in  plenty  here." * 

This  unusual  variety  of  good  things  was 
probably  transferred  to  the  "Orchard  Farm," 
so  called,  consisting  of  three  hundred  acres, 
given  to  Governor  Endicott  as  the  first 
grant  in  1632,  and  confirmed  by  the  Colonial 
Authorities  in  that  year.  It  was  called  "a 
necke  of  land  lying  about  three  miles  from 
Salem,"  and  was  known  by  the  Indians 
as  Wahquamesehcok  (birchwood).2 

Authorities  differ  as  to  the  probable  date 
of  the  planting  of  the  pear  tree,  which  has 
survived  all  of  its  companions.  According 
to  a  family  tradition,  Endicott's  dial,  bearing 
date  of  1630,  and  the  fruit  trees,  including 

1  See  "Memoir  of  John  Endicott"  by  Chas.  E.  Endicott. 
1  Hanson,  "  Hist,  of  Danvers." 

1:653 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

the  celebrated  pear,  were  ordered  at  the 
same  time.  If  this  is  true  it  is  reasonable 
to  suppose  that  the  trees  were  planted  at 
the  Governor's  residence  in  1630,  and  in  their 
permanent  places  at  Orchard  Farm  as  soon 
as  that  land  was  under  cultivation,  about 
1633.  Hanson's  "History  of  Danvers"  quotes 
Joselyn,  1639,  as  savmg»  "There  is  not  a 
single  apple  tree  or  pear  tree  in  all  the 
colonies  "  and  adds  that  either  the  shoot  was 
brought  over  subsequent  to  1639  or  Joselyn 
did  not  know  of  its  existence.  The  writer's 
own  opinion  is  that  1630  is  the  probable 
date  for  the  arrival  of  this  tree  in  America. 
For  out  of  all  that  wealth  of  trees  and  shrubs, 
particularly  fruit-bearing  species,  with  which 
the  Governor  surrounded  himself  from  1629 
to  1633,  he  would  hardly  have  overlooked 
the  apple  and  the  pear.  These  trees  may 
have  been  in  the  minority,  and  therefore 
overlooked  by  the  outside  observer. 

There  is  not  much  left  of  beauty  or  come- 
liness about  the  venerable  tree  which  still 
maintains  its  layer  of  living  bark  from  year 
to  year  around  a  hollow  trunk,  and  still 

C66] 


THE  ENDICOTT  PEAR  TREE 

drops  down  its  golden  fruit  into  the  laps 
of  Endicott's  grateful  descendants  and  ad- 
mirers. Could  the  old  Puritan  see  it  at 
this  time  he  would  say,  with  Touchstone, 
"An  ill-favored  thing,  sir,  but  mine  own"; 
and  he  might  well  add,  "Rich  honesty  dwells 
like  a  miser,  sir,  in  a  poor  house."  When 
in  leaf,  however,  the  tree  possesses  a  youthful 
appearance,  as  the  photograph  will  show. 

The  local  historian,  J.  W.  Hanson,  pays 
a  fitting  tribute  in  his  "History  of  Danvers" 
when  he  says,  "The  man  of  the  present 
day  who  stands  beneath  its  shadow  cannot 
repress  the  mingling  emotions  which  rise  in 
his  Soul.  In  its  nestling  boughs  he  surveys 
the  past  and  beholds  the  light  of  other  days." 

Measurements  have  no  value  and  convey 
no  meaning,  as  applied  to  this  tree.  Soil 
has  gradually  collected  about  the  trunk  until 
the  two  main  branches  appear  to  rise  from 
the  ground  as  separate  trees.  They  evidently 
join  under  a  heavy  covering  of  sod.  Sur- 
rounding them  is  a  fence  which  acts  as  an 
effective  protection.  When  the  author 
photographed  the  tree  it  was  covered  with 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

green  fruit.  It  may  be  seen  in  a  field  near 
Endicott  street  at  Danversport,  and  is  worth 
turning  aside  to  behold,  for  it  is  one  of  the 
most  quaint  and  strangely  impressive  of  all 
the  historic  trees. 


C68I1 


CHAPTER  XIII 
LEXINGTON  AND  CONCORD  TREES 

Here  once  the  embattled  farmers  stood, 
And  fired  the  shot  heard  round  the  world. 

Emerson 

AMONG  that  small  band  of  patriots 
who  placed  themselves  across  the 
path  of  the  advancing  British  army 
at  Lexington  Common,  on  the  iQth  of  April, 
1775,  was  a  lad  of  seventeen  —  Jonathan 
Harrington.  He  was  the  fifer  of  Capt.  Par- 
ker's company,  and,  with  his  brave  com- 
panions-in-arms,  responded  to  the  famous 
command,  "Stand  your  ground,  don't  fire 
unless  fired  upon,  but  if  they  want  to  have 
a  war  let  it  begin  here!" 

In  the  fight  which  followed,  the  percentage 
of  killed  and  wounded,  in  relation  to  the 
number  of  men  engaged  on  the  side  of  the 
patriots,  was  greater  than  in  almost  any 
other  famous  battle  of  our  history;  and 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

among  the  dead  were  found  two  worthy 
representatives  of  the  name  of  Harrington. 
They  fell,  the  one  upon  his  own  door-step, 
and  the  other  while  escaping  from  the 
meeting-house  where  the  military  supplies 
were  stored. 

Jonathan  Harrington,  the  fifer,  came  out 
of  the  battle  of  Lexington  unscathed,  and 
lived  to  the  ripe  old  age  of  ninety-six,  being 
the  last  survivor  of  those  who  took  part. 
His  death  in  1854  produced  a  remarkable 
effect,  both  on  the  community  and  through- 
out the  state.  His  funeral  was  attended  by 
the  Governor  and  his  Council,  the  Lieutenant- 
Governor,  the  Senate  and  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives, and  by  many  prominent  citizens. 
Two  companies  of  militia,  ordered  out  by 
the  Governor  for  the  occasion,  fired  a  volley 
over  the  grave. 

The  distinction  Jonathan  Harrington  en- 
joyed, as  the  result  of  his  long  and  interesting 
career,  has  shed  its  glow  upon  a  certain 
favorite  tree,  planted  by  his  father.  It  bears 
the  name  of  "The  Harrington  Elm,"  and 
stands  in  front  of  the  L.  A.  Austin  place 


*:«**>   •  fVHMHMHHHHi 

THE    ELM    AT    MONROE    TAVERN,    LEXINGTON 


LEXINGTON  AND  CONCORD  TREES 

on  Massachusetts  Avenue,   East  Lexington, 
A  legend  upon  its  trunk  informs  us  that 


THIS   TREE 

WAS    PLANTED    IN    1732 
BY   JONATHAN    HARRINGTON 
FATHER   OF   THE    LAST    SURVIVOR 
OF   THE    BATTLE   OF    LEXINGTON 


It  is  seventy  feet  in  height,  sixteen  feet, 
four  inches  in  circumference  and  ninety  feet 
in  the  spread  of  its  branches.  At  about  ten 
feet  the  trunk  divides  into  four  great  limbs. 
One  of  these,  on  the  northerly  side,  divides 
again  into  four  branches.  There  were  origi- 
nally five  sub-divisions  to  the  trunk,  but  one 
fell  in  a  heavy  gale.  The  wound  has  been 
treated  and  is  properly  healing. 

As  you  pass  on  from  the  Harrington  Elm 
towards  the  historic  common,  the  "Old  Mon- 
roe Tavern"  presents  itself  to  your  view 
on  the  left  side  of  the  road.  Directly  in 
front  of  it  may  be  seen  another  beautiful 
elm,  slightly  smaller  in  girth,  but  nearly 
equal  in  height  and  spread  to  the  elm  just 
described.  Here,  on  the  day  of  the  battle 
horses  were  tied  to  a  series  of  iron  spikes, 
driven  at  intervals  of  several  inches,  around 

C7O 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

the  tree.  One  of  these,  over  which  the 
bark  has  not  yet  closed,  may  still  be  seen 
about  an  inch  and  a  half  below  the  surface. 
This  spike  is  exactly  four  and  a  half  feet 
from  the  ground.  The  circumference  of  the 
tree  at  this  point  is  fourteen  feet  and  five 
inches. 

Another  tree  which  is  sure  to  arrest  the 
attention,  even  of  the  casual  observer,  is 
the  ash  which  stands  near  the  monument 
on  Lexington  common,  where  the  remains  of 
those  who  fell  in  the  battle  were  finally 
brought  and  buried.  It  is  reasonable  to 
suppose  that  this  tree  was  standing  when 
the  battle  of  Lexington  was  fought.  The 
circumference  is  fourteen  feet. 

Here  the  advance  of  the  British  ceases 
to  be  associated  with  great  trees  until  Con- 
cord is  reached,  where  several  ashes,  elms, 
buttonwoods  and  oaks  may  be  found,  bearing 
upon  their  forms  the  marks  of  antiquity. 
But  strangely  enough  not  one  has  been 
selected  and  classified  as  historic. 

The  elm  in  front  of  the  town  hall  must 
have  towered  above  the  British  army  as  it 


LEXINGTON   AND  CONCORD  TREES 

halted  in  the  center  of  the  town.  It  is 
fifteen  and  a  half  feet  in  circumference. 
The  buttonwood  in  front  of  the  Jesse  C. 
Brown  house,  and  the  elm  in  the  middle  of 
the  sidewalk  in  front  of  the  C.  F.  Haywood 
place,  both  on  Lexington  Road,  must  have 
looked  sternly  down  upon  the  tramping 
throng  as  it  came  and  departed.  Each  tree 
is  more  than  twelve  feet  in  circumference, 
and  the  elm  increases  by  huge  abutments 
until,  at  the  ground,  the  circumference  is 
nearly  doubled. 

On  the  bank  of  the  Concord  River,  just 
beyond  the  Monument  Street  bridge,  and 
not  far  from  the  famous  "monument  of  the 
minute-man"  there  is  a  very  old  willow  tree. 
Its  girth  is  greater  than  that  of  any  tree  in 
Concord,  and  it  is  known  to  have  been  a 
sizable  specimen  even  in  Revolutionary 
times.  The  circumference  at  breast  height, 
measured  from  the  upper  side  is  twenty- 
two  feet;  from  the  lower  side  it  is  eighteen 
feet  and  eight  inches;  the  height  is  forty- 
three  feet  and  the  spread  sixty-three  feet. 
At  the  point  where  the  branches  emerge 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

from  the  trunk  the  circumference  is  nearly 
thirty  feet. 

There  are  yet  other  trees  in  historic  Con- 
cord, but  they  belong  to  a  later  time,  and  are 
associated  with  the  years  of  peace  and  ac- 
complishment rather  than  with  those  of  war. 
They  seem  to  have  been  more  cherished  than 
any  of  the  others.  The  writer  refers  to  the 
two  old  elms  in  front  of  the  Louisa  May 
Alcott  house,  and  the  little  grove  of  pines 
and  spruces  just  beyond  it.  Under  the  shade 
of  the  elms  once  lived  the  author  of  "Little 
Women,"  and  among  the  whispering  pines 
Hawthorne  walked,  thought  and  wrote,  or 
conversed  with  his  friend  Thoreau. 

The  elm  at  the  left  of  the  door  as  the 
visitor  approaches  the  old  house  is  thirteen 
feet  in  circumference,  and  the  one  at  the 
right  is  fifteen  feet.  Their  height  is  about 
sixty-five  feet.  The  spread  of  the  branches 
is  not  imposing,  as  one  of  the  trees  has  lost 
nearly  half  of  its  limbs. 

The  pines  and  spruces  are  tall,  with 
clean  boles  and  healthy  crowns;  within 
their  deepest  shades  an  attractive  boulder 

C743 


THE    OLD    WILLOW    AT    CONCORD 


w 


O 
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8  « 


c^    £ 


W    < 
ffi    ffi 

s§ 

O 


LEXINGTON  AND  CONCORD  TREES 

has  been  placed,  which  bears  the  following 
inscription : 

THIS   TABLET    PLACED 
AT   THE    CENTENNIAL    EXERCISES 

JULY   4,     1904 
COMMEMORATES 
NATHANIEL    HAWTHORNE. 
HE   TROD   DAILY   THIS    PATH   TO   THE   HILL 

TO    FORMULATE 
AS   HE    PACED   TO    AND    FRO 

UPON    ITS    SUMMIT 
HIS   MARVELOUS    ROMANCES 


CHAPTER  XIV 
THE  ANCIENT  OAKS  AT  WAYSIDE   INN 

By  noon  and  night  the  panting  teams, 
Stop  under  the  great  oaks  that  throw 

Tangles  of  light  and  shade  below, 
On  roofs  and  doors  and  window-sills. 

Longfellow 

ABOUT  twenty  miles  west  of  Boston, 
in  the  town  of  Sudbury,  there  is  a 
very  old  and  very  famous  inn  known 
as  Longfellow's  Wayside  Inn.  It  is  cele- 
brated for  its  beautiful  collection  of  antiques, 
its  remarkable  fire-places  and  the  attractive 
arrangement  of  its  many  rooms;  but  chiefly 
for  the  lure  that  surrounds  it  by  reason  of 
the  noted  personalities  who  have  been  asso- 
ciated with  the  place  and  its  vicinity.  Wash- 
ington and  Lafayette  stopped  there  during 
Revolutionary  times,  and  there  the  beloved 
American  poet  Longfellow  found  the  in- 
spiration for  some  of  his  best  poetical  works. 
Opposite  the  .east  wing,  and  on  either 
side  of  the  State  Road,  stand  the  Ancient 


THE  ANCIENT  OAKS  AT  WAYSIDE  INN 

Oaks,  measuring  18  feet,  2|  inches,  and  17 
feet,  7  inches  respectively,  and  spreading  their 
powerful  branches  over  a  space  of  more  than 
200  feet.  They  are  so  nearly  alike  in  form 
and  in  the  color  of  the  bark  that  they  are 
usually  mistaken  for  white  oaks,  and  con- 
sidered the  largest  pair  of  this  species  in  New 
England.  But  upon  more  careful  study  it 
will  be  noted  that  the  smaller  tree,  i.e.,  the 
one  within  the  bounds  of  the  highway,  is  a 
red  oak,  while  the  one  within  the  grounds  of 
the  Inn  is  a  white  oak. 

These  trees  were  standing  here  in  June, 
1775,  when  Washington  passed  on  his  way 
to  Cambridge  to  take  command  of  the 
Patriot  army;  and  again  about  a  century 
later  they  were  rendered  famous  by  Long- 
fellow in  his  "Tales  of  a  Wayside  Inn," 
when 

Through  the  ancient  oaks  o'erhead, 
Mysterious  voices  moaned  and  fled. 

The  age  of  the  Ancient  Oaks  is  unknown, 
but  it  is  claimed  that  they  existed  full  grown 
before  the  Inn  was  built,  and  are  at  least  500 
years  old.  The  white  oak  is  hollow,  and 

C773 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

would  house  several  persons  within  its  trunk. 
Tree-surgeons  have  removed  the  dead  wood 
from  within  and  braced  the  walls  of  the 
trunk  against  the  elements  and  the  strain 
of  the  great  branches.  Seed  continues  to 
be  borne  in  abundance  each  year,  and  the 
surrounding  fields  contain  many  large  and 
beautiful  oaks  —  the  children  and  grand- 
children of  these  giants  of  the  forest  primeval. 


CHAPTER  XV 
THE  MARLBORO  ELM 

Lean  close  and  set  thine  ear  against  the  bark; 

Then  tell  me  what  faint,  murmurous  sounds  are  heard. 

Charles  Henry  Luders 

THE  road  over  which  Washington 
passed  on  his  way  to  Cambridge 
is  still  the  favorite  highway  between 
Springfield  and  Worcester,  and  between  Wor- 
cester and  Boston.  It  has  now  become  the 
popular  automobile  route  between  those 
cities,  and  many  a  beautiful  tree  greets  the 
traveler  with  its  grateful  shade.  After  pass- 
ing the  old  oaks  at  Wayside  Inn,  going 
towards  the  west,  you  enter  the  town  of 
Marlboro.  A  large  sign  informs  you  that 
this  town  is  the  seventh  in  shoe  production 
in  the  state,  and  that  it  is  "clean,  healthy 
and  prosperous."  Near  the  end  of  West 
Main  street,  on  the  lawn  of  the  Stevens 
place  stands  an  old  elm  tree,  the  dimensions 
of  which  are  quite  extraordinary:  circum- 
ference at  breast  height,  17^  feet,  height, 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

74 J  feet,  spread  of  branches,  100  feet.  The 
roots  on  the  southerly  side  rise  from  the 
ground  like  an  abutment,  increasing  the 
circumference  at  one  foot  from  the  ground 
to  29^  feet.  The  branches  are  unusually 
large,  and  in  a  pocket  of  earth  which  has 
collected  among  them  at  the  top  of  the 
trunk,  a  currant  bush  has  been  bearing  fruit 
for  sixty  years.  This  fact  is  vouched  for  by 
Mr.  William  Arnold  who  worked  for  William 
Gibbon,  a  former  owner  of  the  property 
on  which  the  tree  stands,  when  a  boy. 

The  tree  is  historic  on  account  of  its  con- 
nection with  the  old  house  just  behind  it,  and 
its  age  dates  back  as  far,  at  least,  as  1740, 
when  it  was  much  prized  by  a  Tory  minister 
of  Marlboro,  the  Rev.  Aaron  Smith.  "The 
house  was  erected  by  the  town  for  the  Rev. 
Aaron  Smith  upon  his  settlement  here  in 
1740.  At  the  time  of  the  Revolution,  this 
man  was  suspected  of  Tory  sentiments,  and 
one  night  two  loaded  muskets  were  fired  into 
his  window,  probably  as  a  threat  or  warning 
by  individuals  who,  actuated  by  the  spirit 
of  the  time,  gave  vent  to  their  detestation 


THE    MARLBORO    ELM 


THE  MARLBORO  ELM 

of  anyone  who  could  possibly  make  harder 
the  struggle  of  a  feeble  province,  almost 
without  arms  and  ammunition  of  war  against 
the  then  most  powerful  nation  of  the  earth. 
The  bullets  fired  lodged  in  a  beam,  and 
were  extracted  and  preserved  by  Mr.  Samuel 
Gibbon.  Rev.  Smith,  becoming  less  popular, 
and  because  of  impaired  voice  resigned  the 
ministry  here  and  in  1778  removed  to  Way- 
land  where  he  died  three  years  later.  In 
1784,  Mr.  Samuel  Gibbon  came  with  his  wife 
from  Dedham  and  bought  this  old  house,  im- 
proving it  in  many  ways.  He  was  a  trader,  a 
prominent  citizen  and  many  years  a  Justice  of 
the  Peace.  He  also  represented  the  town  in 
the  Legislature.  Samuel  Gibbon  willed  the 
old  homestead  to  his  son  who  cared  for  his 
father  to  his  death.  The  property  eventually 
passed  into  the  hands  of  William  Gibbon's 
daughter  Mary,  who  married  Frank  Howe, 
and,  in  1903,  the  place  was  purchased  by  Dr. 
Ralph  E.  Stevens  who  with  his  family  resides 
in  this,  one  of  Marlboro's  oldest  landmarks." 1 

1  Ella  A.  Bigelow,  "  Historical  Reminiscences  of  Marlboro," 
Chap.  2. 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

When  the  writer  visited  the  property  for 
the  purpose  of  taking  measurements  of  the 
tree  he  was  shown  one  of  the  old  musketballs 
referred  to.  It  was  of  lead,  about  as  large 
as  a  medium-sized  hickory  nut,  and  would 
unquestionably  have  produced  a  more  rag- 
ged wound,  had  it  struck  the  Rev.  Smith, 
than  the  steel- jacketed  variety  of  modern 
times.  Judging  from  the  angle  at  which  the 
bullets  entered  the  beam  they  were  fired 
from  a  point  a  few  feet  to  the  right  of  the 
tree. 

Another  elm  that  has  become  a  favorite 
with  many  people  on  account  of  its  sym- 
metry and  great  size,  stands  near  the  State 
Road  a  few  miles  further  on,  or  about  mid- 
way between  Northboro  and  Shrewsbury. 
The  circumference  is  about  15  feet. 


£823 


CHAPTER  XVI 
THE  GRAFTON  OAK 

—  not  a  prince 

In  all  that  proud  old  world  beyond  the  deep 
E'er  wore  his  crown  as  loftily  as  he 
Wears  the  green  coronal  of  leaves  with  which 
Thy  hand  has  graced  him. 

Bryant 

WHILE  the  Patriots  in  Boston  were 
rallying    beneath   the   branches    of 
Liberty  Tree  and  the  Great  Elm, 
events  of  a  similar  nature  were  taking  place 
in  one  of  the  small  towns  in  the  center  of 
the  state. 

Not  far  from  the  town  square  in  Grafton, 
on  a  street  leading  down  the  hill  on  the 
northerly  side,  stands  a  very  fine  red  oak, 
bearing  an  inscription  on  a  copper  tablet: 

UNDER   THIS    TREE 

BEFORE   THE    OLD   TAVERN 

PATRIOTS    OF   THE    COMMUNITY 

GATHERED   TO    PLEDGE   THEIR 

SERVICES    IN   THE    CAUSE   OF 

AMERICAN   INDEPENDENCE. 

THIS   TABLET    PLACED    BY 

OLD    OAK    CHAPTER 

DAUGHTERS   OF   THE   AMERICAN   REVOLUTION 
JUNE    14,    1914 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSE    ;S 

This  oak  is  14  feet,  5  inches  in  circ 
ference,  62  feet  in  height,  and  75  feet  n  ti.e 
spread  of  its  branches.  It  has  witnessed 
some  stirring  scenes,  among  which  may  be 
mentioned  the  departure  of  the  two  com- 
panies of  volunteers,  composing  "the  whole 
efficient  male  population  of  the  town"  on 
the  day  of  the  battle  at  Concord  and  Lexing- 
ton; and  in  later  years  the  departure  of 
Company  G  of  the  Fifteenth  Regiment, 
Massachusetts  Volunteers,  at  the  opening 
of  the  Civil  War.  According  to  Pierce*  s 
History  of  Grafton,  when  this  later  company 
was  being  formed,  upon  receipt  of  the  news 
of  the  attack  on  the  Massachusetts  Sixth 
Regiment  at  Baltimore,  a  soldier  of  the 
Revolution,  Benjamin  Smith,  ninety-eight 
years  old,  attended  the  meetings  and  spoke 
from  the  platform  of  the  town  hall.  A 
monument  in  the  town  square  records  the 
names  of  fifty-nine  victims  which  Grafton 
gave  for  the  life  of  the  nation.1 

1  Pierce,  "Hist,  of  Grafton,"  pp.  105-6. 


THE    GRAFTON    OAK 


CHAPTER  XVII 
THE  WASHINGTON  ELM  AT  PALMER 

In  June  'tis  good  to  lie  beneath  a  tree. 

Lowell 

WHEN  the  old  elm  at  Cambridge 
has  at  last  been  added  to  the  list 
of  the  historic  trees  of  the  past, 
there  will  still  be  standing  a  tree  of  the  same 
species,  bearing  the  same  name;  for  just 
beyond  the  town  of  Palmer,  a  quarter  of 
a  mile  from  the  railroad  bridge,  and  near 
the  center  of  a  broad  curve  of  the  main 
road  to  Springfield,  is  a  wide-spreading  elm 
of  the  oak-tree  type,  comparatively  strong, 
and  most  pleasing  in  its  proportions. 

Beneath  this  tree  Washington  rested  and 
refreshed  himself,  and  delivered  a  short  ad- 
dress only  three  days  previous  to  taking 
command  of  the  army  at  Cambridge.  A  local 
historian  informs  us  that  the  place  was  an  old 
tavern-stand  once  owned  by  Daniel  Graves 
who  obtained  a  license  to  keep  the  house  of 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

entertainment  before  1760,  which  later  was 
renewed  to  his  son  Aaron,  in  1761.  This  son, 
as  Captain,  served  in  the  Revolutionary  War 
and  afterward  rose  to  the  rank  of  major. 
He  kept  the  tavern  during  his  lifetime.1 

"The  elm  took  its  name  from  the  tradition, 
apparently  well  attested,  that  General  Wash- 
ington, accompanied  by  his  Staff,  General 
Lee  and  the  deputation  sent  from  Cambridge 
to  Springfield  to  meet  and  escort  him  to 
headquarters,  halted  with  his  party  under 
the  shade  of  this  tree  to  rest  and  lunch  about 
noon,  June  30,  1775.  Very  naturally  the 
party  ordered  milk  and  other  necessaries 
from  Captain  Graves's  tavern."1 

There  is  a  granite  monument  a  few  feet 
from  the  base  of  the  tree  which  bears  the 
following  inscription: 

UNDER      THIS      ELM 

WASHINGTON 

PASSED   JUNE    3O,    1775 

AND    AGAIN   OCT.    22,    1789. 

ON  THE    FIRST   DATE   TRADITION    SAYS 

HE    ADDRESSED   THE    CITIZENS    OF 

PALMER. 

ERECTED    BY   THE 

PALMER  .HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

JUNE    3O,     1906 

1  Temple,  "  History  of  Palmer." 


THE  WASHINGTON   ELM  AT  PALMER 

Like  many  trees  of  its  kind  this  elm  has 
developed  greatly  at  the  base.  At  one  foot 
from  the  ground  the  circumference  of  the 
trunk  is  nineteen  feet.  At  breast  height 
it  diminishes  to  fourteen  feet  and  one  inch, 
and  increases  again  as  the  branches  are 
approached.  The  height  is  fifty-five  feet, 
and  the  spread  of  branches  ninety-five  feet. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 
THE  LAFAYETTE   ELM 

Sirs,  cover  the  while;  the  duke  will  drink  under  this  tree. 

Shakespeare 

AMONG  those  few  trees  which,  in 
point  of  size,  may  be  called  elms 
of  the  first  class,  is  the  Lafayette 
Elm.  This  tree  is  situated  southwest  of 
the  village  of  Ware,  on  the  road  to  Palmer, 
and  is  twenty  feet,  seven  inches  in  circum- 
ference, seventy-five  feet  in  height,  and  one 
hundred  and  ten  feet  in  the  spread  of  its 
branches.  The  enormous  trunk  divides  at 
about  ten  feet  into  three  branches,  the 
largest  of  which  subdivides  into  four  more. 
The  smallest  of  the  four  is  fifteen  inches 
in  diameter.  In  general  appearance  the  tree 
is  slightly  over-developed  on  the  east  side, 
one  great  limb  stretching  in  this  direction 
for  more  than  sixty-five  feet. 

Tradition  says  that,  during  Revolutionary 
times,  Lafayette  rested  underneath  this  tree 


THE  LAFAYETTE  ELM 

while  on  his  way  to  meet  Washington,  and 
at  a  later  date  the  elm  was  named  for  the 
famous  Frenchman. 

When  the  republic  was  firmly  established, 
and  Lafayette  honored  it  with  an  extended 
visit,  he  stopped  for  a  brief  time  in  Ware 
and  was  entertained  at  the  Old  Tavern 
House.1  Among  those  who  met  him  at  that 
time  was  Mrs.  Cynthia  Loomis,  a  life-long 
resident  of  the  town,  who  recalls  that,  when 
he  took  her  hand,  he  said  to  her  and  her 
companions,  "I  rejoice  to  see  you,  my  chil- 
dren, enjoying  the  liberty  for  which  we 
fought." 2 

1  Where  Hitchcock's  block  now  stands. 

2  Chase,  "Hist,  of  Ware,"  p.  120. 


C89;] 


CHAPTER  XIX 
THE  ELM  AT  COURT  SQUARE,   SPRINGFIELD 

And  I,  who  have  always  known 
Peace  with  her  dove-like  ways, 
Am  gripped  with  his  martial  spirit 
Here  in  the  after  days. 

Richard  Burton 

THE  city  of  Springfield  has,  from  early 
times,  possessed  large  numbers  of 
beautiful  trees,  mostly  elms.  The 
old  Springfield  Elm,  now  gone,  was  famous 
throughout  Massachusetts,  and  another  tree 
not  quite  so  large  is  mentioned  by  Holmes  in 
his  comments  in  the  "Autocrat"  on  elms  of 
the  second  class,  as  "the  queen  of  them  all."1 
There  was  also  a  "giant  celtis,"  often  mis- 
taken for  an  elm,  according  to  some  authori- 
ties the  finest  tree  of  its  kind  in  this  part  of 
the  country.  At  West  Springfield  there  was, 
until  quite  recently,  a  great  tree  known  as 
the  West  Springfield  Elm. 

1  Dr.  Holmes  considered  a  circumference  of  14  ft.  at  5  ft. 
from  the  ground,  large,  for  elms;  16  to  18  ft.,  very  large;  20  ft. 
exceptional. 


THE    SPRINGFIELD    ELM 


THE  ELM  AT  COURT  SQUARE,  SPRINGFIELD 

When  these  celebrities  passed  out  of  exist- 
ence, the  locality  in  which  they  stood  ceased 
to  be  considered,  by  many,  as  the  home  of 
any  trees  possessing  remarkable  size  or  special 
marks  of  beauty;  and  yet  some  few  have 
struggled  bravely  through  the  years,  filling 
the  places  formerly  occupied  by  their  noble 
companions.  One  at  least  may  be  said  to 
be  historic,  and  as  for  size,  it  now  measures 
up  to  all  the  requirements  of  an  elm  of  the 
first  class.  It  is  the  last  survivor  of  a  little 
group  that  stood  in  Court  Square  near  the 
Old  Tavern,  "allowing  the  old  yellow-bodied, 
thorough-braced  stage  just  room  enough  to 
swing  around  to  the  front  door  in  fine  style!"1 

General  Washington  rendered  the  elms  his- 
toric by  his  visit  there  when  on  his  way 
between  New  York  and  Cambridge,  and  he 
rendered  one  more  famous  than  the  others, 
i.e.,  the  elm  that  stood  directly  in  front  of 
the  tavern  door,  for  here  it  was  that  he  sat 
and  "drank  his  flip." 

The  city  may  well  be  proud  to  call  the 
survivor  of  the  group  The  Springfield  Elm. 

1  King,  "  Hist,  of  Springfield,"  p.  234. 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

It  stretches  its  branches  part  way  across  Main 
street,  where  its  green  foliage  may  be  seen  in 
summer  for  a  long  distance  as  one  approaches 
in  either  direction  on  the  busy  thoroughfare. 

Its  dimensions  are  surprising  and  grati- 
fying—  height  102  feet,  spread  112  feet, 
circumference  at  breast  height,  19  feet,  9 
inches.  At  five  feet  from  the  ground  the 
circumference  is  a  little  over  twenty  feet, 
which,  to  some  authorities,  would  mean  more 
than  the  breast  height  measurement.  Dr. 
Oliver  Wendell  Holmes  would  concede  that 
this,  in  truth,  constituted  an  exceptional  elm. 
The  tree  has  suffered  severely  from  pruning, 
but  is  still  sending  out  an  abundance  of 
foliage,  and  has  the  appearance  of  possessing 
great  strength  and  durability. 

Within  a  radius  of  a  few  miles  from  this 
point  are  three  other  trees  which  deserve 
mention  here.  One  is  the  finest  specimen 
of  the  hackberry  that  the  writer  has  ever 
seen  in  New  England.  It  stands,  unfortu- 
nately, in  an  inconspicuous  place,  shut  off 
from  view  by  buildings,  so  that  a  good 
photograph  is  extremely  difficult  to  obtain. 


THE  ELM  AT  COURT  SQUARE,  SPRINGFIELD 

The  easiest  way  by  which  to  direct  the 
reader  to  this  tree  is  to  say  that  it  stands 
directly  in  front  of  the  jail.  The  distance 
is  not  far  from  the  center  of  the  city,  and  a 
view  of  the  tree  will  repay  any  person  for 
the  journey.  The  circumference  is  13  feet, 
10  inches,  the  height  78  feet,  and  the  spread 
80  feet  —  unusual,  certainly,  for  this  species. 

In  West  Springfield,  on  the  right  hand 
side  of  the  road  leading  to  Westfield,  stands 
an  old  elm  which  is  now  in  the  early  stages 
of  decay.  It  is  95  feet  in  height,  17  feet, 
9  inches  in  circumference,  and  75  feet  in  the 
spread  of  its  branches. 

At  the  end  of  Franklin  street,  in  Westfield, 
where  the  tourist  makes  his  last  turn  before 
ascending  into  the  Berkshires,  stands  a  large, 
old  elm  of  the  drooping  type,  possessing 
almost  perfect  proportions,  against  whose 
permanence  and  beauty  no  apparent  inroads 
have  been  made.  If  this  tree  escapes  accident 
from  wind  and  lightning,  it  should  live  for  at 
least  another  century.  It  has  now  reached 
the  second  class  —  circumference,  16  feet,  yj 
inches,  height,  72  feet,  spread,  100  feet. 

C933 


CHAPTER  XX 
THE  SHEFFIELD  ELM 

Here  still  an  aged  Elm  aspires, 
Beneath  whose  far  projecting  shade 
(And  which  the  shepherd  still  admires) 
The  children  of  the  forest  played. 

Philip  Freneau 

OLIVER    WENDELL    HOLMES,    in 
speaking    of   his    "tree    wives,"    in- 
cludes, among  those  of  greatest  size, 
beauty  and  symmetry  of  form,  the  elm  at 
Sheffield,    and   adds   that   "size,   first  of  all 
and  chiefly"  constitutes  a  first  class  elm. 

Doubtless  the  Sheffield  elm  was  so  classi- 
fied on  account  of  its  great  beauty  and 
spread  of  branches,  for  it  fails  to  show  twenty 
feet  of  clear  girth  at  five  feet  from  the  ground 
even  at  the  present  time.  It  has  always 
been  considered  as  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
elms  in  Massachusetts,  and  though  old  age 
has  at  last  crept  upon  it,  the  individuality 
in  the  arrangement  of  its  numerous  branches 
C94] 


THE    SHEFFIELD    ELM 


THE  SHEFFIELD  ELM 

continues  to  produce  a  strong,  graceful  and 
pleasing  appearance. 

Looking  back  over  a  period  of  seventy- 
two  years  we  find  that  "the  great  Sheffield 
Elm  had,  in  1844,  at  the  ground,  a  girth 
of  twenty-two  feet  six  inches;  at  two  feet, 
eighteen  feet  six  inches;  at  three,  sixteen 
feet  nine  inches;  at  six,  sixteen  feet  seven 
inches,  above  which  it  rapidly  enlarges,  and 
divides  at  ten  or  twelve  feet  into  three  large 
branches  which  soon  subdivide.  Its  spread 
westward  from  the  center  is  forty-nine  feet 
six  inches,  and  it  is  nearly  equal  on  every 
side;  height  sixty  or  seventy  feet."1 

At  least  three  and  a  half  feet  had  been 
added  to  these  measurements  in  July  of 
1916.  The  three- foot  circumference  had  in- 
creased to  twenty  feet  and  three  inches, 
and  the  six-foot  circumference  to  nineteen 
feet  and  seven  inches.  At  breast  height  the 
tree  was  nineteen  feet  and  three  inches. 
The  spread  westward  was  fifty-four  feet  and 
the  height  eighty-two  feet. 

1  Emerson,  "The  Trees  and  Shrubs  of  Massachusetts,"  vol.  2, 
p.  328. 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

The  historic  traditions  are  even  more  in- 
teresting than  the  measurements.  "The  old 
elm"  was  standing  when  the  town  was 
settled  (1725-6)  and  an  Indian  trail  leading 
into  Connecticut  passed  near  its  trunk. 
There  is  a  story  to  the  effect  that  this  trail 
was  marked  on  either  side  by  numerous 
apple  trees  which  sprang  from  seeds  dropped 
by  the  Indians  in  their  wanderings. 

A  little  to  the  southeast  of  the  tree  the 
first  settler  of  Sheffield,  Mathew  Noble, 
camped  for  a  time  with  his  daughter.  They 
came  on  horseback  from  Westfield,  and  the 
young  lady,  anticipating  great  cold,  brought 
with  her  a  feather-bed.  At  one  time  town 
meetings  were  held  under  the  tree,  and  at 
another  yearly  town  picnics  were  in  vogue. 
The  maple  trees  planted  in  the  near  vicinity 
of  the  elm  were  for  the  purpose  of  producing 
more  shade  for  the  picnickers.  A  local  poet 
has  written  of  the  tree,  setting  forth  some 
of  its  early  Indian  traditions. 

Unfortunately,  Washington,  who  brought 
into  prominence,  so  many  of  the  trees  of  New 
England,  passed  this  one  by.  But  in  this 


THE  SHEFFIELD  ELM 

connection  it  may  be  said  that  he  once 
passed  over  another  road  not  many  miles 
distant,  on  his  way  to  Salisbury  and  Egre- 
mont;  and  an  ancient  willow  is  still  pointed 
out  as  the  spot  where 'he  watered  his  horses. 


CHAPTER  XXI 
DEERFIELD  TREES 

Happy  are  they  and  charmed  in  life 
Who  through  long  wars  arrive  unscarred 
At  peace. 

Herman  Melville 

THE  name  Deerfield  suggests,  to  the 
average  New  Englander  at  least,  all 
manner  of  things  historic;  and  one 
glimpse  of  the  main  street  of  this  town, 
with  its  quaint  houses  and  the  arching 
branches  of  its  trees,  is  sufficient  to  establish 
in  any  visitor's  mind,  a  never-to-be-forgotten 
picture.  In  the  writer's  opinion,  one  of 
the  highest  tributes  which  can  be  paid  to  a 
New  England  town  is  this  —  that  it  com- 
pares favorably  as  to  beauty  with  "Old 
Deerfield." 

If  all  of  the  larger  trees  should  be  removed, 
the  old  houses,  many  of  which  were  built 
during  the  time  of  fierce  struggle  with  the 
Indians,  would  still  lend  their  enchantment 


DEERFIELD  TREES 

to  the  locality.  The  preservation  of  the  arts 
of  weaving  and  basketry,  practiced  by  those 
brave  women  who  were  the  wives  of  the 
pioneers  and  the  mothers  of  their  children, 
constitutes  another  marked  characteristic. 

But  the  finishing  touch  of  beauty  is  to  be 
found  in  the  spreading  elms,  the  maples 
and  the  button  woods.  They  blend  into  the 
picture  as  they  do  into  the  whole  history  of 
the  settlement.  Standing  at  the  head  of 
the  street  as  one  approaches  from  the  direc- 
tion of  Greenfield,  is  a  huge  elm,  seventeen 
feet  in  circumference  and  one  hundred  feet 
in  height.  This  tree  was  without  question 
standing  here  when  Capt.  Lothrop  and  his 
band  of  young  men,  the  heroes  of  Bloody 
Brook  Massacre,  passed  by.  And  from  this 
point,  on  to  the  other  end  of  the  town,  trees 
equally  as  old  may  be  seen. 

It  is  difficult  to  select  a  single  tree,  which, 
from  all  standpoints,  may  be  considered  as 
representative  of  the  historic  trees  of  Deer- 
field.  But  since  the  great  "Willard  Elm," 
which  stood  in  the  northeast  corner  of  the 
old-time  barricade,  is  no  longer  standing,  the 

C993 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

honors  may  perhaps  justly  be  divided  be- 
tween the  buttonwood  in  front  of  the 
academy,  and  the  elm  on  Albany  road. 

The  buttonwood  is  now  eighteen  feet  in 
circumference,  and  one  hundred  feet  in  height 
and  spread.  It  stands  within  the  bounds 
of  what  was  once  the  enclosure  of  the  fort 
which  was  built  in  1689,  and  which  remained 
until  1758.  If  size  is  any  test  of  a  tree's 
age  this  buttonwood  was  standing  at  the 
time  of  the  Indian  wars,  for  its  circum- 
ference is  larger  than  that  of  the  Charlemont 
buttonwood  (under  which  the  pioneers  slept 
in  1741)  by  about  two  feet. 

Many  thrilling  events  took  place  within 
a  radius  of  fifty  yards  from  the  spot  occupied 
by  the  tree.  Almost  within  reach  of  its 
shadow  stood  the  "Old  Indian  House,"  built 
by  Ensign  John  Sheldon  in  1698,  and  the 
Stebbins  house,  where,  on  the  29th  of  Febru- 
ary, 1703-4,  "seven  men,  besides  women  and 
children,  held  two  hundred  soldiers  and  one 
hundred  and  forty  Indians  at  bay  (under 
a  French  officer  of  the  line)  for  three  hours." 1 

1  From  inscription  on  monument. 
100 


THE    DEERFIELD    BUTTONWOOD 


"THE  ELM  BY  THE  LITTLE  BROWN  HOUSE" 
DEERFIELD 


DEERFIELD  TREES 

In  connection  with  the  elm  tree  on  the 
Albany  road  it  is  worthy  of  note  that  the 
Indians  usually  led  their  captives  past  this 
tree  to  a  ford  in  the  river,  and  thence  to 
the  Mohawk  trail.  The  tree  is  known  as 
"the  elm  by  the  little  brown  house." 
Thickly  growing  bushes  and  vines  conceal 
its  huge  abutments,  which  stretch  out  on 
each  side  of  the  tree  to  a  distance  of  seven 
feet.  In  girth  this  tree  qualifies  as  an  elm 
of  the  first  class,  being  twenty  feet  in  circum- 
ference; the  height  is  eighty-two  feet,  and 
the  spread  one  hundred  feet.  With  the 
exception  of  a  few  dead  branches  the  tree 
appears  to  be  in  good  health. 

Strangely  enough,  there  is  hardly  a  spot 
in  historic  Deerfield  marked  by  a  monument 
which  is  not  also  marked,  at  no  great  dis- 
tance, by  an  old  tree;  and  one  ponders,  as 
he  reads  the  various  inscriptions,  upon  the 
number  of  living  trees  that  were  witnesses 
of  the  events  commemorated  by  tablets  of 
stone. 

The  country  to  the  north  and  south  of 
Deerfield  is  dotted  with  many  beautiful 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

trees.  There  are  several  rows  of  ancient 
sugar  maples  along  the  road  to  South  Deer- 
field,  while  at  Greenfield,  elms  abound  in 
large  numbers,  the  most  conspicuous  being 
those  in  front  of  the  library  and  the  post 
office. 


1:102:1 


CHAPTER  XXII 
THE  CHARLEMONT  BUTTONWOOD 

In  the  outskirts  of  the  village, 
On  the  river's  winding  shores, 
Stand  the  Occidental  plane-trees, 
Stand  the  ancient  sycamores. 

Wbittier 

ONE    of   the    most   picturesque    spots 
on    the    "Mohawk    Trail"    may    be 
found  in  the  westerly  portion  of  the 
little  town  of  Charlemont,  just  beyond  the 
old  covered  bridge  which  crosses  the  Deerfield 
River.     At    this    point    a    buttonwood    tree 
stands  on  the  side  of  the  slope  a  few  feet 
above  the  road,   and  leans  slightly  forward 
as  if  to  protect  a  spring  of  sparkling  water 
near  its  base. 

Here  the  first  pioneer  settler  of  the  town- 
ship slept  when  he  came  to  take  possession 
of  the  land  which  he  had  purchased  for 
himself  and  his  family;  and  not  far  away, 
on  the  side  of  the  hill  above,  he  finally  per- 
ished at  the  hands  of  the  Indians. 

£103:1 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

Captain  Moses  Rice,  to  whom  belongs 
the  honor  of  establishing  the  settlement, 
was  a  native  of  Sudbury.  He  married  Sarah 
King  in  that  town,  Nov.  16,  1719,  and  their 
first  child,  Samuel,  was  born  there  Aug. 
10,  1720.  Soon  after,  the  family  removed 
to  Worcester,  where  the  remaining  children, 
six  in  number,  were  born.  While  at  Worces- 
ter Captain  Rice  commanded  a  company  of 
cavalry,  and  in  1724  was  posted  with  others 
at  Rutland,  Mass.,  in  a  garrison  commanded 
by  Captain  Samuel  Wright. 

His  selection  of  Charlemont  as  a  frontier 
home  came  about  through  a  speculative 
enterprise  on  the  part  of  the  town  of  Boston. 
The  Boston  Township  No.  i,  as  it  was  called, 
comprised  over  23,000  acres,  and  finally 
passed,  almost  entire,  into  the  hands  of  two 
men.  From  one  of  these,  who  had  acquired 
the  power  of  attorney,  Captain  Rice  bought 
2200  acres,  on  the  23rd  of  April  1741,  and 
came  with  his  family  in  1743  to  take  up 
life  on  the  frontier. 

Some  time  between  the  purchasing  of 
the  land  and  the  coming  of  the  Captain's 

C  1043 


THE    CHARLEMONT    BUTTONWOOD 


THE  CHARLEMONT  BUTTONWOOD 

family,  he  visited  his  property  in  company 
with  his  sons,  for  the  purpose  of  clearing 
a  portion  of  land  for  meadow,  and  build- 
ing a  house.  This  journey  gives  us  the 
basis  in  history  for  the  part  which  the 
buttonwood  plays  in  the  story.  A  state- 
ment has  been  handed  down  by  Sylvanus 
Rice,  son  of  the  Captain,  to  Mrs.  Fuller,  his 
daughter,  a  later  inhabitant  of  Charlemont, 
that  "he  had  slept  under  the  Buttonwood 
tree  when  there  was  not  another  white  per- 
son in  town."1 

In  spite  of  the  bitter  struggle  which  began 
in  1744  between  the  British  and  French, 
in  which  the  Indians  took  an  active  part, 
Captain  Rice  and  his  family  remained  in  their 
exposed  position  unmolested  until  August, 
1746,  and  their  house  was  a  favorite  stopping 
place  for  the  soldiers  and  wayfarers  on  the 
border.  On  the  20th  of  August  1746,  Fort 
Massachusetts  was  invested  by  the  French 
and  Indians,  and  Captain  Rice  moved  his 
family  to  Rutland  just  in  time  to  avoid  a 
massacre.  Upon  his  return  he  found  his 

1  From  Joseph  White's  "Charlemont  as  a  Plantation." 

£105;] 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

house  burned  and  his  property  destroyed. 
He  repaired  to  Rutland  for  three  years  but 
returned  at  the  end  of  that  time  and  rebuilt 
his  house.  Another  was  erected  on  the 
meadow  for  his  son. 

Other  settlers  arrived  at  this  time,  and  the 
Rice  family,  together  with  the  Taylor  and 
Hawks  families,  developed  prosperous  fron- 
tier settlements.  Peace  prevailed  so  long 
as  the  treaty  of  Aix-Ia-Chapelle  was  in  force. 
But  the  three  pioneer  families  lived  in  a 
state  of  preparedness  during  the  period, 
and  fortified  their  homes  against  future  at- 
tack. When  the  storm  finally  broke  it  car- 
ried off  Captain  Rice;  but  the  settlement  was 
not  destroyed,  and  prompt  action  on  the 
part  of  the  Province  prevented  a  recurrence, 
and  confined  the  French  to  their  own  terri- 
tory further  north. 

The  thrilling  events  which  resulted  so 
disastrously  for  the  family  of  Captain  Rice 
occurred  within  sight  of  the  old  buttonwood. 
The  tree  stands  between  the  site  of  the  first 
attack  and  that  of  the  Captain's  final  struggle 
and  fall. 


THE  CHARLEMONT  BUTTONWOOD 

"On  Wednesday  morning  the  nth  of 
June  1755,  Captain  Rice,  his  son  Artemus 
Rice,  his  grandson  Asa  Rice  —  a  boy  nine 
years  of  age  —  Titus  King,  Phineas  Arms 
and  others,  went  into  the  meadow  which 
lies  south  of  the  present  village  road  ...  for 
the  purpose  of  hoeing  corn.  Captain  Rice 
was  ploughing  and  the  boy  riding  the  horse. 
The  others  were  engaged  in  hoeing,  except 
one  who  acted  as  sentinel  —  passing  through 
the  field  .  .  .  with  musket  in  hand,  while 
the  firearms  of  the  others  were  placed  against 
a  pile  of  logs  near  the  western  brook.  .  .  . 
Meanwhile  a  party  of  six  Indians,  as  tra- 
dition informs  us,  having  carefully  observed 
their  victims  from  the  neighboring  hill,  stole 
cautiously  down  the  western  brook;  and 
concealed  by  the  thick  brush-wood  upon 
its  banks,  watched  till  the  working  party 
were  .  .  .  farthest  from  their  firearms,  when 
they  suddenly  fired  and  rushed  upon  the 
defenseless  party.  Arms  fell  dead  in  the 
corn-field;  Captain  Rice  received  a  severe 
wound  in  the  thigh  and  was  taken  prisoner, 
together  with  the  lad,  Asa,  upon  the  horse, 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

and  Titus  King,  a  young  man,  and  a  relative 
of  Captain  Rice.  Artemus  Rice  escaped,  after 
a  hot  pursuit,  and  reached  Taylor's  fort 
at  noon.  The  Indians  .  .  .  withdrew  with 
their  captives  to  the  high  plain.  Here  the 
wounded  man  was  left  alone,  with  a  single 
savage,  to  meet  his  fate.  After  a  fearful 
struggle  he  fell  beneath  the  tomahawk,  and 
was  left,  scalped  and  bleeding,  to  die.  Late 
in  the  day  he  was  found  yet  alive,  and  was 
brought  to  his  son's  house,  where  he  expired 
in  the  evening.  The  other  prisoners  were 
led  to  Crown  Point  and  thence  to  Canada. 
The  lad  was  ransomed;  .  .  .  King  ...  at 
length  returned."1 

On  the  slope  of  the  hill  there  are  standing 
at  the  present  time  several  very  old  head- 
stones which  mark  the  graves  of  Captain 
Rice,  his  family,  his  grandchildren  and  Phin- 
eas  Arms.  The  two  oldest  monuments  are 
of  slate,  and  time  has  almost  obliterated  the 
records.  With  the  help  of  a  putty-knife 
and  a  magnifying  glass  the  following  in- 
scriptions were  deciphered: 

1  White,  "Charlemont  as  a  Plantation." 


THE  CHARLEMONT  BUTTONWOOD 

IN   MEMORY   OF   CAPT.    MOSES 

RICE,    WHO    WAS    KILLED 

BY   THE    INDIANS    IN   THIS 

PLACE,    JUNE   YE    IITH, 

1755,    IN   YE   6lST   YEAR   OF 

HIS   AGE,    AND    LIES    AT   THE    RIGHT    HAND. 

IN   MEMORY   OF   MR.    PHINEAS 
ARMS,    WHO    WAS    KILLED    BY   THE    INDIANS 
IN   THIS    PLACE,    JUNE    YE    IITH,    1 755, 

IN    YE    24th    YEAR   OF   HIS 
AGE,    AND    LIES   AT   THE    LEFT   HAND 

SACRED   TO   THE 

MEMORY    OF   DEAN   AARON 

RICE    AND    FREEDOM    HIS   WIFE, 

WHO,    HAVING    SUSTAINED   THE 

HARDSHIPS    OF    AN    INFANT    FRONTIER 

IN   TIME    OF   WAR,    HAVING" 

REARED    A    FAMILY   OF   ELEVEN   CHILDREN, 

NINE    OF    WHOM    HE    INTERRED    IN   THIS 

GROUND,    AND    LIVED    TOGETHER    IN 

HAPPY   WEDLOCK   54   YEARS, 
DEPARTED   THIS    LIFE   THE    FIRST, 

DEC.    2,     l8o8,    AGED    84 
YEARS    &   THE    OTHER,    SEPT.    15,    1 809, 

AGED    79.       AND    THEY   WERE    BOTH 

RIGHTEOUS    BEFORE    GOD,    WALKING    IN 

ALL   THE    COMMANDMENTS    AND    ORDINANCES 

OF   THE    LORD    BLAMELESS. 

These  graves  were  exhumed  some  years 
ago,  and  the  bullet  which  killed  Phineas 
Arms  was  found  lodged  in  his  skull.  It  may 
be  seen  at  the  historical  rooms  in  Deerfield. 
In  the  midst  of  the  crumbling  slabs  of  slate 
stands  a  large  granite  monument  of  more 

£109  3 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

recent  origin,  intended  as  a  permanent  me- 
morial to  the  first  settler  of  Charlemont. 

But  more  fitting  than  any  other,  while  it 
remains,  will  be  the  living  monument  of 
the  buttonwood  tree.  Its  topmost  branches 
reach  to  a  greater  height  than  the  graves  on 
the  hill,  for  the  tree  is  ninety-eight  feet 
high.  Beneath  the  branches,  which  spread 
themselves  over  eighty-five  feet  of  space, 
passes  the  "trail";  and  near  the  massive 
trunk,  sixteen  feet  in  circumference,  still 
bubbles  the  crystal  spring  water. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 
THE  SUNDERLAND  BUTTONWOOD 

It  is  a  sense  of  kingly  isolation, 

Of  rough  beauty  and  enchanting  grace, 

Proclaiming  from  the  earliest  creation 
The  power  and  pride  of  race. 

Tracy  Robinson 

SUNDERLAND     possesses     a     gigantic 
"Old   Buttonwood"    (in    place    of   the 
conventional  "old  elm"  of  many  New 
England    towns),    the    largest    described    in 
the  present  collection,  and  the  largest,  doubt- 
less, in  Massachusetts.     While  surpassed  in 
size  by  a  few  elms,  this  old  tree  holds  an  envi- 
able position,  and  justly  so,  for  in  point  of 
size  the  species  stands  preeminent  among  the 
trees  of  the  New  England  forest. 

The  great  limbs,  stretching  upward  for 
a  hundred  feet,  more  or  less  basket-shaped, 
and  spreading  to  an  equal  distance,  are 
plainly  visible  from  Sugar  Loaf  Mountain, 
and  from  several  points  along  the  highway 
leading  north.  Their  characteristic  color 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

stands  out  conspicuously  against  the  green 
background  of  other  trees.  More  marked 
than  any  other  particular  feature  is  the 
ponderous  trunk.  It  reminds  one  of  an 
elephant.  The  girth  at  breast  height  is 
20  feet,  6  inches,  and  it  is  very  nearly  uniform 
to  the  dividing  point,  which  comes  at  about 
fifteen  feet. 

Historically,  the  tree  ranks  with  those  of 
Deerfield,  although  no  battles  are  actually 
known  to  have  taken  place  in  its  immediate 
vicinity.  The  train-band  men  used  it  as  a 
meeting  place,  and,  by  reason  of  their  activi- 
ties, placed  it  on  record  as  a  celebrated  tree. 

Among  the  amusing  questions  asked  by 
the  uninitiated  of  the  present  day  is  that  of 
the  man  who  desired  to  know  "who  white- 
washed the  branches?" 

In  connection  with  this  locality  two  elms 
are  of  interest  on  account  of  their  great  size. 
They  are  standing,  close  together,  near  the 
other  end  and  on  the  opposite  side  of  Main 
street,  and  the  larger  of  the  two  is  nearly 
equal  in  girth  to  the  old  buttonwood. 


THE    SUNDERLAND    BUTTONWOOD 


CHAPTER  XXIV 
THE   OLIVER    WENDELL    HOLMES    PINE 

What  didst  thou  sing  of,  thou  melodious  sprite? 

Pine  forests,  with  smooth  russet  carpets  spread, 
Where  e'en  at  noonday  dimly  fades  the  light, 

Through  gloomy  blue-green  branches  overhead. 

Frances  Anne  Kemble 

THE  glory  of  the  Berkshires  is  in  its 
mountains  and  its  trees.  Standing 
on  any  one  of  the  many  peaks  in 
autumn  you  are  impressed  with  the  vast 
wealth  of  color  stretching  for  miles  about 
you,  and  realize  that  every  variety  of  tree 
peculiar  to  the  Great  Northern  Forest  is 
growing  there  before  your  eyes.  You  recall 
passing  elm  after  elm,  huge  and  towering, 
in  Great  Barrington,  Stockbridge  and  Lenox, 
and,  passing  along  the  winding  roads,  among 
the  valleys  and  around  the  lakes,  you  dis- 
cover new  and  unfamiliar  shapes  and  colors 
where  distant  species  have  been  brought  in 
to  add  to  the  already  beautiful  picture. 
Why  ask  for  historic  trees  in  this  land  where 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

people  play  and  rest  and  work?  Is  it  not 
enough  that  they  are  beautiful,  and  that  they 
are  unlimited  in  quantity? 

And  yet,  as  you  walk  along  the  old  road 
to  Lenox,  you  will  mark  in  a  wide  sweep  of 
lawn  the  lone  and  superb  pine  so  much 
loved  by  Dr.  Holmes.  "Canoe  Meadow" 
was  a  carrying  place  of  the  Indians,  and  held 
everything  that  he  most  delighted  in.  His 
house  stood  on  the  soil  owned  by  his  great- 
grandfather, Jacob  Wendell,  Colonel  of  the 
Ancient  and  Honorable  Artillery  Company. 
Here  were  half  a  hundred  acres  of  forest 
trees,  some  of  them  probably  five  hundred 
years  old;  above  their  foliage  the  Berk- 
shire Hills  reared  their  silent  heads,  and 
the  Housatonic  River  made  its  course  in 
a  thousand  fantastic  curves  through  the 
meadows.  1 

Here  at  last  is  an  historic  pine,  one  of  the 
favorite  trees  of  a  noted  personage,  and  an 
excellent  representative  of  our  great  New 
England  conifer. 

1  Abbott,  "Old  Paths  and  Legends  of  the  New  England 
Border." 


THE    OLIVER    WENDELL    HOLMES    PINE 


THE  OLIVER  WENDELL  HOLMES  PINE 

You  measure  its  trunk  and  find  that  it  is 
1 6  feet  4  inches  in  girth;  you  wonder  at  the 
great  depth  of  its  shadow  and  find  that  the 
spread  of  the  branches  is  nearly  90  feet; 
and  you  look  upward  to  its  topmost  branch 
and  find,  if  you  have  a  measuring  instrument, 
that  it  is  97  feet  from  the  ground. 

There  may  be  a  larger  white  pine  than 
this  somewhere  in  Massachusetts;  but  where 
shall  we  look  for  it?  In  the  few  remaining 
stands  of  virgin  timber  some  trees  remain 
whose  height  reaches  one  hundred  feet  and 
over,  but  these  are  lumber  trees,  having  a 
long,  tapering  bole,  and  only  a  wisp  of  needles 
at  the  top.  Such  a  tree  was  the  gigantic 
pine,  17  feet  in  circumference,  that  once 
stood  near  the  turnpike  road  between  Read- 
ing and  Andover  in  Essex  County,  and  which 
was  spared  by  the  lumberman  because  it 
was  the  largest  tree  on  the  lot.  Even  in 
the  practice  of  forestry  the  pine  is  protected 
only  for  what  it  will  yield  in  less  than  seventy- 
five  years  as  a  timber  crop,  and  pines  of 
large  girth  are  now  few  and  far  between. 

The  Pittsfield  pine  is  still  apparently  sound 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

in  spite  of  its  great  size  and  age.  Dr.  Holmes 
has  not  described  it  as  one  of  his  "tree 
wives,"  nor  "gilded  with  a  rhyme  its  house- 
hold name,"  but  it  remains  as  a  heritage 
to  us,  like  his  portrait  of  Dorothy  Q., 

"And  lives  untroubled  by  woes  and  fears 
Through  a  second  youth  of  a  hundred  years/* 


CHAPTER  XXV 
OTHER  WELL-KNOWN  TREES 

Father,  thy  hand 

Hath  reared  these  venerable  columns,  thou 
Didst  weave  this  verdant  roof.     Thou  didst  look  down 
Upon  the  naked  earth,  and,  forthwith  rose 
All  these  fair  ranks  of  trees. 

Bryant 

AMONG  the  largest  and  most  beauti- 
ful  trees    in    all    Massachusetts    are 
those    noble    old    monarchs    of    the 
forest  which,   by  reason  of  sheer  excellence 
alone,    have    established    for    themselves    a 
permanent  place  in  the  list  of  truly  great 
trees.     They  need  no  specific  event  to  render 
them  historic;    they  are  in  themselves  his- 
toric by  reason  of  their  age,  size  and  refining 
influence  upon  mankind. 

A  book  written  entirely  in  the  spirit  of 
this  suggestion  might  well  include  every 
extraordinary  specimen  of  tree  in  the  Com- 
monwealth. The  present  volume  was,  how- 
ever, originally  intended  to  include  only 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

"historic  trees"  in  the  established  sense  of 
the  term,  and  for  this  reason  a  separate 
chapter  is  added  here,  in  which  the  "un- 
heralded and  unsung"  may  have  a  place, 
through  the  medium  of  their  worthy  repre- 
sentatives. 

Berkshire  County 

The  preceding  chapter,  dealing  with  the 
Oliver  Wendell  Holmes  Pine,  left  the  reader 
in  the  far  end  of  the  state,  after  an  imagi- 
nary trip  from  sea-level  west.  It  now  remains 
for  us  to  journey  back  hastily,  admiring  an 
individual  tree  in  one  place,  a  group  in 
another,  and  to  those  that  must  of  necessity 
be  left  behind,  be  this  the  parting  word  — 

O,  flourish,  hidden  deep  in  fern, 
Old  oak,  I  love  thee  well! 
A  thousand  thanks  for  what  I  learn 
And  what  remains  to  tell. 

There  is  a  stately  old  elm  on  the  back  road 
to  Stockbridge,  a  few  miles  out  of  Lenox. 
This  tree  is  i6J  feet  in  circumference,  97 
feet  in  height  and  87  feet  in  spread.  Tra- 
dition credits  it  with  having  sheltered  with 
its  branches  a  meeting  of  Revolutionary 
generals  about  1776,  but  there  seems  to  be  no 


OTHER  WELL-KNOWN  TREES 

recorded  proof  of  this  assertion.  The  shape 
of  the  tree  is  somewhat  unusual,  being  that 
of  a  vase  more  or  less  broadened  near  the 
base;  and  it  stands  not  far  from  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  of  Berkshire  views  —  a  point 
commanding  a  view  of  Greylock  on  the  one 
side  and  Mt.  Everett  on  the  other,  with 
just  the  turning  of  one's  head. 

In  the  northern  Berkshires  the  most  typical 
tree  is  the  elm  standing  near  the  roadside  as 
you  go  from  South  Williamstown  to  Hancock. 
This  elm  is  iyj  feet  in  circumference,  94 
feet  in  height  and  115  feet  in  the  spread 
of  its  branches. 

In  the  town  of  Savoy  there  is  a  remark- 
able curiosity  in  the  form  of  a  spruce  tree 
only  five  feet  high,  but  possibly  a  century 
old.  Frank  N.  Blake's  article  and  photo- 
graph in  the  Springfield  Republican  of  May 
24,  1914,  first  introduced  the  tree  and  boulder 
in  which  its  roots  are  embedded  to  the  gen- 
eral public.  In  a  letter  received  from  Mr. 
Blake  in  May,  1918,  the  following  description 
was  given: 

"There  is  a  spruce  tree  near  South  Pond, 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

Savoy,  growing  on  a  rocking  boulder;  it  is 
five  feet  high,  and  an  old  resident,  born  near 
by  and  living  there  until  recently,  told  me  he 
remembered  it  as  a  boy  as  being  the  same  in 
appearance  over  fifty  years  ago.  The  boulder 
I  measured  and  estimated  the  weight  to  be 
twenty-nine  tons,  yet  it  is  so  nicely  poised 
that  I  could  rock  it  with  the  pressure  of  one 
finger.  The  tree  grows  in  a  fissure  and  has  no 
connection  with  the  earth,  and  my  impression 
is  that  it  must  suffer  from  dry  weather  and 
cold  in  winter;  no  wonder  that  it  does  not 
grow — the  wonder  is  that  it  lives." 

Hampden  County 

We  descend  to  the  region  of  Springfield, 
where  most  of  the  big  trees  have  already 
been  sought  out  and  described  in  the  pre- 
ceding chapters,  and  we  pass  on  to  the 
towns  about  Wilbraham.  Here  a  whole  day 
might  be  spent  in  going  from  one  to  another 
of  the  aged  landmarks.  A  list  submitted 
by  Henry  I.  Edson,  forest  warden  at  North 
Wilbraham,  includes  no  less  than  a  score 
of  super-trees.  The  most  beautiful  of  all 


OTHER  WELL-KNOWN  TREES 

is  the  Baldwin  Maple  at  North  Wilbraham; 
the  largest  of  all  is  a  chestnut  22  feet  in  girth 
standing  on  the  land  of  Addison  Bennett 
about  a  mile  and  a  half  south  of  North 
Wilbraham  on  the  Glendale  road;  and  the 
one  tree  on  the  list  that  most  nearly 
approaches  the  historic  is  the  "mile  tree" 
at  Wilbraham  Green,  where,  in  times  past, 
the  men  of  the  locality  were  assembled 
for  military  training.  There  is  a  big  elm 
in  town  and  several  old  oaks,  a  very  old 
hickory  and  two  notable  apple  trees.  One 
of  the  latter  is  the  so-called  Hancock  Green- 
ing. The  family  whose  house  stood  by  this 
ancient  tree  claims  descent  from  the  brother 
of  Governor  John  Hancock. 

Worcester  County 

Passing  on  to  the  middle  of  the  state  we 
find  two  very  old  elms,  each  of  which  has 
laid  claim  to  the  title  of  Central  Tree.  A 
glance  at  the  map  will  show  that  the  geo- 
graphical center  of  the  state  lies  somewhere 
within  the  confines  of  the  townships  of  Rut- 
land and  Paxton,  and,  as  the  two  elms  are 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

the  largest  to  be  found  in  their  immediate 
vicinity,  each  has  been  decorat  d  in  years 
gone  by  with  a  legend  in  token  of  its  dis- 
tinction. The  pine  board  cling  ig  to  the 
trunk  of  the  Paxton  Elm  is  no  •  r  old  and 
weather-beaten  and  should  of  necessity  be 
replaced  with  another,  stating  that  the  king 
is  dead.  The  tree  still  stands,  almost  entire, 
with  its  columnar  trunk  14  feet  in  circum- 
ference, and  its  branches  towering  into  the 
sky  60  or  70  feet.  The  Rutland  Elm  clings 
tenaciously  to  life,  but  its  most  beautiful 
branches  are  gone  and  its  visage  is  battered 
and  warlike.  The  circumference  at  breast 
height  is  12  feet  and  4  inches.  These  trees 
have  been  patient  in  adversity,  braving  the 
cold  winds  of  many  winters  in  a  place  where 
proper  treatment  is  expensive  and  difficult 
to  obtain.  They  have  served  as  an  example 
of  fortitude  to  many  persons  who  have  gone 
in  quest  of  health  to  the  high  elevations  on 
which  they  stand. 

The  town  of  Lunenburg  lies  within  this 
upland  district  of  the  center  of  the  state, 
and  takes  pride  in  two  remarkable  trees  of 


OTHER   WELL-KNOWN  TREES 

advanced  age.  It  was  originally  planned 
to  devote  t~  chapter  to  the  old  buttonwood 

r 

near  the  and-stand  in  the  town  square, 
because  of  the  tradition  that  this  tree  was 
planted  01  the  4th  of  July  1776;  but  no 
substantial  data  were  found  by  which  it 
could  be  linked  in  immortal  memory  with  the 
Declaration  of  Independence!  The  oldest 
inhabitant  was  at  last  appealed  to,  but  his 
information  may  be  summed  up  in  the  words, 
"I  wa'n't  here,  so  I  don't  know."  The  tree 
is  not  over  12  feet  in  circumference.  But 
the  pride  of  the  town,  "Old  King  Arthur," 
a  white  oak  that  stands  by  the  side  of  a 
country  road  a  few  miles  out  from  the  center 
of  the  town,  was  probably  there  some  years 
in  advance  of  the  first  pioneer  settler.  It  is 
about  1 6  feet  in  circumference  and  spreads 
its  branches  over  a  space  of  about  90  feet. 

On  the  northern  border  of  Worcester 
County,  at  Royalston,  a  large  elm  has  long 
been  standing  on  the  top  of  a  high  hill. 
It  is  known,  locally;  as  the  "Sentinel  Elm," 
and  is  a  good  example  of  its  species  growing 
on  the  higher  slopes. 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

The  town  of  North  Brookfield  possesses  sev- 
eral remarkable  elms  along  the  main  street. 
One  is  exceptional,  having  a  circumference  of 
nearly  twenty  feet,  and  very  broad  shoulders 
where  the  branches  emerge  from  the  trunk. 

In  the  town  of  Oakham  there  is  standing 
a  white  oak  from  which  the  town  seal  was 
fashioned.  While  only  eleven  feet  in  cir- 
cumference this  oak  is  claimed  to  be  very 
old,  and  has  the  added  distinction  of  being 
almost  perfect  in  its  proportions.  The  lo- 
cation is  a  pasture  along  the  road  leading 
from  Oakham  to  Coldbrook. 

The  Lancaster  group,  of  elms,  oaks  and 
maples,  has  for  many  years  held  a  leading 
place  in  the  annals  of  great  trees;  but  the 
great  Lancaster  Elm,  once  the  largest  tree 
of  its  kind  in  the  State,  is  no  longer  standing; 
the  famous  Cunningham  Maple  and  the 
Carter  Oak  are  both  in  advanced  stages  of 
decay,  and  appear  "like  veteran  warriors, 
beaten  down  in  battle,  bearing  up  their 
banners  to  the  last."  The  Beaman  Oak 
remains  in  all  the  glory  of  its  strength,  and 
is  claimed  to  be  the  largest  red  oak  in  Massa- 


THE    BEAMAN    OAK 


THE    RUGG    ELM 


OTHER  WELL-KNOWN  TREES 

chusetts.  It  marks  the  place  where  Gama- 
liel Beaman,  an  early  settler,  built  his  house 
in  1659.  The  measurements  are  as  follows: 
circumference  at  the  ground,  29  feet;  at 
breast  height,  20  feet;  at  five  feet  from  the 
ground,  19  feet,  9  inches;  height,  75  feet; 
spread  of  branches,  90  feet. 

Middlesex  County 

The  Rugg  Elm  (also  known  as  the  Gates 
Elm)  at  Framingham,  situated  about  two 
hundred  yards  from  the  turnpike  road,  be- 
tween Framingham  and  Fayville  near  the 
grounds  of  the  Country  Club,  is  the  largest 
elm  herein  described.  If,  indeed,  it  is  a 
single  tree,  and  not  two  trees  springing  from 
a  common  root  system,  it  is  without  doubt 
the  largest  elm  to  be  found  anywhere  in 
New  England.  The  circumference  at  one 
foot  from  the  ground  is  twenty-eight  and 
a  half  feet,  and  at  about  three  feet  from  the 
ground  the  trunk  divides  into  two  parts, 
one  of  which,  at  breast  height,  is  seventeen 
feet,  and  the  other  fourteen  feet  in  circum- 
ference. Between  these  two  trunks  there  is 

£1253 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

a  peculiar  woody  formation,  or  "nubbin," 
which  may  at  one  time  have  been  the  be- 
ginning of  a  third  section.  It  has  been 
literally  squeezed  out  of  existence.  At  the 
point  where  the  main  trunk  divides  and  this 
dwarfed  formation  emerges,  the  circumference 
is  twenty-five  and  a  half  feet.  The  two 
gigantic  trunks  subdivide  at  about  eight 
feet  into  three  large  branches  each,  and, 
in  combination,  form  one  of  the  most  re- 
markable crowns  that  can  be  conceived  of. 
The  spread  of  the  branches  is  one  hundred 
and  forty-five  feet,  and  the  height  of  the 
tree  is  seventy  feet.  The  age  of  the  Rugg 
Elm  has  been  variously  estimated  at  from 
three  hundred  to  four  hundred  years.  Pro- 
tected from  severe  storms  by  a  sheltering 
rise  of  ground,  it  has  succeeded  in  preserving 
all  of  its  limbs,  which,  but  for  their  supports, 
would  rest  for  a  portion  of  their  length  upon 
the  ground.  The  owner  of  the  tree,  Mr. 
Dennett,  has  spared  no  effort  to  protect  the 
landmark,  and  it  has  during  recent  years 
received  the  best  of  care  and  some  assistance 
in  the  way  of  tree  surgery.  The  work  has  been 

C 126;] 


OTHER  WELL-KNOWN  TREES 

so  skilfully  done  that  no  artificial  effect  has 
been  added  to  the  general  appearance  of  the 
tree  and  it  bids  fair  to  last  for  another  century. 
The  only  tree  in  Massachusetts  which,  at 
maturity,  has  ever  approached  the  Rugg  Elm 
in  the  grandeur  of  its  spreading  branches 
is  the  elm  which  stands  on  the  Knowlton 
farm  in  West  Acton.  This  super-elm  lost 
over  half  of  its  branches  about  three  years 
ago,  when  they  fell  of  their  own  weight  in 
a  very  ordinary  gale.  Timely  assistance 
would  have  preserved  this  tree  for  more 
than  a  generation.  It  has  long  been  credited 
with  possessing  the  greatest  spread  of  any 
elm  in  this  section  of  the  country,  and  the 
remaining  half  section  covers  fully  a  hundred 
feet  of  ground.  The  largest  limb,  which 
was  shorn  off  and  still  lies  where  it  fell, 
is  ii  feet  and  4  inches  in  circumference. 
It  would  seem  as  if  strength  had  been  sacri- 
ficed for  beauty,  and  as  if  a  noble  head  had 
at  last  fallen  from  shoulders  too  weak  to 
support  it.  The  trunk  is  fourteen  feet,  eight 
and  a  half  inches  in  circumference  and 
thoroughly  sound.  The  height  of  the  tree 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

is  sixty-seven  feet.  Its  earlier  development 
was  along  much  the  same  lines  as  that  of  the 
Lafayette  Elm  at  Ware,  described  in  another 
chapter.  But  the  latter  has  laid  a  more 
permanent  foundation  in  the  form  of  a  pon- 
derous trunk,  of  which  the  largest  branch  is 
a  continuation. 

The  towns  of  Weston  and  Wayland  are 
rich  in  beautiful  trees,  at  least  one  of  which 
is  connected,  traditionally,  with  Washington 
and  his  escort,  and  their  journey  to  Cam- 
bridge in  1775.  This  favored  tree  is  a  white 
oak,  and  stands  on  the  side  of  the  slope  a 
little  to  the  left  of  the  State  road  as  one 
enters  Weston  from  the  east,  and  its  branches 
extend  over  the  driveway  leading  to  the 
Winsor  estate.  The  most  conspicuous  tree 
in  Wayland  is  the  elm  in  the  turn  of  the  road 
at  the  eastern  end  of  the  town.  It  is  a  fine 
example  of  the  oak-tree  type  of  American 
elm  and  has  a  spread  of  nearly  i  oo  feet. 

The  Waverley  group,  of  twenty-five  white 
oaks,  which  for  many  years  has  been  con- 
sidered famous,  under  the  name  of  "The 
Waverley  Oaks,"  is  composed  of  remarkably 

CI28] 


OTHER  WELL-KNOWN  TREES 

large  trees,  and  the  "old  giant"  ranks  with 
the  greatest  of  white  oaks.  These  trees 
are  associated  with  James  Russell  Lowell 
and  the  "Vision  of  Sir  Launfal."  At  the 
present  time  nearly  all  of  the  tops  are  "stag- 
horned"  and  their  beauty  is  rapidly  passing. 
The  splendid  tree  at  the  entrance  to  the 
park  in  which  they  stand  is  about  the  aver- 
age size  for  the  group  and  seems  to  be  in 
better  condition  than  any  of  the  others.  The 
circumference  is  fourteen  feet,  two  inches,  the 
height  is  sixty  feet  and  the  spread  ninety  feet. 
The  great  white  oak  at  Billerica,  while  not 
strictly  historic,  has  witnessed  the  founding 
of  that  town,  and  Washington  and  other 
noted  persons  have  passed  beneath  its  shade. 
It  is  fifteen  feet  in  circumference,  sixty-five 
feet  in  height  and  ninety  feet  in  spread,  and 
is  decorated  with  the  following  inscription: 


THIS   TREE   WAS   HERE 

WHEN 
GEORGE   WASHINGTON 

PASSED   THROUGH 
BILLERICA,    NOV.    5,    1789, 

DURING   A  TOUR   OF 
NEW   ENGLAND,    AND   IS   ONE 

OF   THE 
ORIGINAL   FOREST   TREES 

i:  129:1 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF   MASSACHUSETTS 

Extract  from 
Washington's  Diary  — 
"Mr.  Pbelps  accompanied 

me  from  Andover  through 

Billerica  to  Lexington. 

A  mile  or  two  Jrom  Andover 

you  descend  into  a  pine  level, 

pretty,  sandy,  and  mixed  with 

swamps  through  which  you 

ride  several  miles  till  you 

descend  the  heights  on  which 

the  town  of  Billerica  stands, 

which  is  so  pleasantly  situ- 
ated 10  miles  Jrom  Andover." 

THIS   INSCRIPTION    PLACED   HERE 

BY   THE 
BILLERICA   HISTORICAL   SOCIETY,    1896 

Among  the  towns  in  eastern  Middlesex, 
just  north  of  Boston,  notably  Medford  and 
Winchester,  there  are  many  beautiful  trees 
of  all  kinds.  The  two  most  remarkable 
specimens  are  the  elm  near  the  railroad 
station  in  Winchester  and  the  black  walnut 
near  Grove  street  in  West  Medford.  The  Win- 
chester Elm  is  not  among  the  largest  of  our 
famous  trees,  being  only  ten  and  a  half  feet 
in  circumference,  but  no  more  beautiful  tree 
may  be  found  in  this  section.  It  has  adapted 
itself  to  the  conditions  of  our  modern  city 
streets  and  flourishes  in  the  very  center  of 


THE    WINCHESTER    ELM 


THE    BLACK    WALNUT    AT   WEST    MEDFORD 


OTHER  WELL-KNOWN  TREES 

one  of  the  main  thoroughfares  of  Winchester. 
The  black  walnut  at  West  Medford  is  four- 
teen and  a  half  feet  in  circumference,  eighty 
feet  in  height  and  seventy-five  feet  in  spread. 
There  is  some  local  history  attached  to  it, 
the  best  summary  of  which  may  be  found 
in  a  short  article  written  by  a  suburbanite 
for  the  Boston  Globe  of  June  22,  1918: 

ANOTHER  LARGE  TREE 

Editor  People's  Column: 

There  is  a  notably  large  black  walnut  tree  at  West  Medford. 
A  brief  description  of  the  tree  is  given  on  pages  500-501  of  Charles 
Brooks  and  James  M.  Usher's  History  of  Medford.  According 
to  that  description  in  1884  the  tree  measured  19  feet  and  8 
inches  in  circumference  at  its  base  and  had  a  limb  which  measured 
9  feet  and  3  inches  in  circumference.  For  many  years  previous 
to  the  death,  in  1799,  of  Thomas  Brooks,  his  house  —  which 
long  ago  disappeared  —  stood  in  front  of  the  tree.  When  Mr. 
Brooks'  negro  slave  Pompey  slaughtered  his  master's  hogs 
he  used  to  hang  the  carcasses  on  the  above-mentioned  large 
limb  of  the  tree.  The  tree,  notwithstanding  its  extreme  age, 
seems  to  be  still  full  of  vigor,  and  apparently  it  is  destined  to 
live  for  a  long  time  to  come.  The  tree  is  east  of  and  some  125 
feet  distant  from  that  part  of  Grove  st.  which  is  a  few  rods 
north  of  the  junction  of  that  street  and  Jackson  Road,  being 
opposite  to  that  part  of  the  street  which  is  skirted  by  a  brick 
wall,  still  standing,  which  Pompey  built  in  front  of  his  master's 
house  about  1765.  Of  that  brick  wall,  which,  as  well  as  the  big 
black  walnut  tree,  is  quite  a  notable  historical  landmark,  a 
picture  is  given  on  page  n  of  "Medford,  Past  and  Present," 
and  on  an  unnumbered  page  facing  230  of  "Proceedings  of  the 
Celebration  of  the  275th  Anniversary  of  the  Settlement  of 

Medford." 

Suburbanite 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

Essex  County 

A  "splendid  old  wreck  of  an  elm"  at  North 
Andover,  known  as  the  Hubbard  Elm,  is  the 
peer  of  Essex,  and  may  be  considered  as 
a  strong  contender  for  the  title  of  the  largest 
elm  now  standing  in  Massachusetts.  The 
dimensions  fall  slightly  below  those  of  the 
Rugg  Elm,  but  if  a  distinction  is  made  be- 
tween elms  having  a  single  and  those  having 
a  double  trunk,  this  tree  possesses  the  largest 
girth  of  them  all.  Though  hollow  it  com- 
mands the  greatest  admiration  and  wonder, 
and  its  mighty  abutments  stretch  out  for 
several  feet  on  all  sides,  as  if  inviting  the 
beholder  to  step  thereon  and  grasp  the 
deep- furrowed  bark  in  a  fond  embrace!  On 
the  ground  about  the  tree  lie  several  of  the 
once  powerful  limbs  in  varying  stages  of 
decay  where  they  have  fallen.  The  complete 
picture  produces  in  the  observer  the  keenest 
of  emotions,  and  he  leaves  it  with  regret, 
knowing  that  the  time  will  not  be  long  during 
which  he  may  be  permitted  to  gaze  upon 
so  mighty  an  elm.  The  circumference  is 
twenty-four  feet  and  five  inches  at  breast 


THE    HUBBARD    ELM 


OTHER  WELL-KNOWN  TREES 

height,  and  the  height  is  ninety-eight  feet. 
The  spread  is  not  over  sixty-five  feet,  prob- 
ably a  little  more  than  half  of  what  it  was 
before  the  beautiful,  long  limbs  fell  to  the 
ground. 

A  movement  was  at  one  time  started, 
but  came  to  no  effect,  to  rejuvenate  and 
preserve  this  tree  by  surgery.  The  tree 
would  respond  to  treatment  even  now,  and 
there  is  abundant  precedent  for  so  good  a 
cause  —  for  example  the  action  taken  by  the 
Winthrop  Improvement  and  Historical  Asso- 
ciation to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  the  old 
Gibbons  Elm. 

The  Gibbons  Elm  stood  near  the  dwelling 
of  Major  General  Edward  Gibbons,  who  was 
one  of  the  fifteen  men  to  whom  PuIIen  Point 
was  allotted  in  1637,  and  one  of  the  founders 
of  the  Ancient  and  Honorable  Artillery  Com- 
pany. When  the  275th  anniversary  of  the 
allotment  was  observed,  in  June,  1912,  a 
service  was  held  in  special  honor  of  the  elm 
tree  which  had  witnessed  so  much  of  the 
history  of  the  town  of  Winthrop,  and  which 
had  grown  so  old  as  to  render  its  removal 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

imperative.  Accordingly,  some  3000  people 
assembled  at  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
gatherings  ever  held  in  honor  of  a  tree. 
Charles  Francis  Adams  was  the  orator  of 
the  day,  and  Denis  A.  McCarthy  read  a 
poem  on  "The  Old  Elm."  The  Ancient  and 
Honorable  Artillery  Company  then  planted 
a  new  elm  to  take  the  place  of  the  old. 

Norfolk  County 

The  towns  of  Medfield,  Wrentham  and 
Unionville  doubtless  possess  the  largest  of 
the  Norfolk  county  trees.  The  St.  Edwards 
Elm  in  Medfield  stands  in  front  of  the  church 
bearing  the  same  name;  the  representative 
elm  of  Wrentham  stands  in  front  of  the 
Cheever  Inn;  the  Unionville  Elm  is  opposite 
the  Unionville  post  office  in  the  township 
of  Plainville  on  the  edge  of  a  broad  green 
field.  To  describe  these  beautiful  trees  in 
detail  would  be  largely  a  repetition  of  what 
has  gone  before,  as  they  possess  in  large 
measure  the  good  points  of  typical  elms 
already  described  with  no  marked  peculiari- 
ties of  their  own.  They  are  nearly  uniform 

1:134:1 


OTHER  WELL-KNOWN  TREES 

in  size   and  the   dimensions   may   be   found 
in  the  index. 

Bristol  County 

The  white  oak  on  Somerset  Ave.,  Taunton, 
is  Bristol's  contribution  to  the  list  of  famous 
trees.  This  oak  ranks  in  size  with  the 
white  oaks  of  Waverley,  being  fifteen  feet 
in  circumference  and  over  ninety  feet  in 
spread.  No  other  tree  in  this  section  is 
so  large,  and  like  most  of  the  aged  white 
oaks  of  our  cities  it  witnessed  the  found- 
ing of  a  settlement  when  the  country  was 
very  young. 

Plymouth  County 

We  have  now  retraced  our  steps  from 
Berkshire  to  the  sea,  and  the  last  of  the 
famous  trees  is  also  one  of  the  most  magnifi- 
cent in  the  whole  collection.  Behold  an 
apple  tree  having  the  sinews  of  an  oak,  the 
spread  of  an  elm,  and  a  crown  surpassing 
both  in  the  beauty  of  its  leaves  and  blos- 
soms! Let  the  reader  imagine  it  in  full 
bloom,  its  blossoms  nearly  the  size  of  wild 
roses,  its  largest  limbs  nearly  six  feet  in 


THE   HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

girth  stretching  out  thirty  feet  on  every  side; 
its  trunk  ten  feet  in  girth  at  the  smallest 
part  and  fourteen  and  a  half  feet  at  the 
ground;  and  he  must  envy  those  fortunate 
residents  of  Cape  Cod  who  boast  that  they 
played  under  this  "umbrella  tree"  when 
children  and  climbed  in  its  branches.  It 
stands  on  the  estate  of  Mr.  Livermore  of 
Marshfield  Hills  and  is  known  to  be  more 
than  one  hundred  years  old,  having  been 
planted  by  Stephen  Sherman  who  was  a 
resident  of  Marshfield  for  nearly  ninety  years. 
At  this  point  the  author  feels  that  his  book 
may  properly  be  called  completed,  and  the 
time  for  the  final  word  is  at  hand.  It  is 
this  —  many  efforts,  both  organized  and 
individual,  have  been  made  during  recent 
years  toward  the  preservation  of  all  manner 
of  things  historic.  No  effort  of  any  wide 
scope  has  yet  been  made  toward  the  per- 
petuation of  those  living  monuments  which 
Nature  has  erected  to  our  past  and  present 
history,  the  famous  trees.  Therefore,  since 
most  books  either  begin  with  an  object,  or, 
ending,  point  a  moral,  be  it  the  purpose  of 


OTHER  WELL-KNOWN  TREES 

this  volume  to  create,  if  possible,  a  sentiment 
toward  the  protection  and  preservation,  not 
only  of  the  historic  trees  of  Massachusetts, 
but  of  every  state  where  abound  these  faith- 
ful friends  of  the  Nation. 


THE  HISTORIC  TREES  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 


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^  oarfSnAX9                        University  of  California 
(A2845slO)476                                        Berkeley 

